Gay-hate in the name of Christian belief

Clint McCance, vice-president of the Midland School District in Arkansas, got angry at last week’s call for people to wear purple as a means of showing solidarity with gay teens who struggle in the face of bullying. McCance gave vent to his anger, and showed himself as one of those bullies. Here is what he wrote on Facebook:

“Seriously, they want me to wear purple because five queers committed suicide. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE."

"It pisses me off … that we make special purple fag day for them. I like that fags can’t procreate. I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other AIDS and die. I would disown my kids if they were gay. They will not be welcome at my home or in my vicinity. I will absolutely run them off. Of course my kids will know better. My kids will have solid Christian beliefs.”

In the wake of last month’s five suicides of teens subjected to gay-bullying, I can hardly imagine any words more hateful than those of Clint McCance. (A close second might be the “christian” words of high Southern Baptist officials who castigated clergy sex abuse survivors as “opportunists” and “evil-doers.” But I digress …)

Clint McCance was a public school official. Turn that ugly thought over in your head.

Columnist Leonard Pitts summed up the absolute awfulness of it by posing this question: “Can you imagine if you were a kid, lonely, alienated, struggling with your nascent sexual identity, daily tormented by classmates who think it’s funny to call you a fag or dunk your face in the toilet, and you go to a school administrator for help and this guy is who you get?”

After widespread condemnation of his remarks, Mr. McCance apologized on CNN and announced his resignation from the school board. He said that, down-the-road, if his constituents want to vote him back in, then he “will run again.”

I, for one, am hoping that Mr. McCance’s constituents will have long memories.
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