Pharyngula

Posted by: southwindcg | October 27, 2010 5:00 PM

It's unbelievable (and pathetic) that in 2010 not only do people still think this way, but say things like this openly. I wonder how exactly his life was 'ruined' by this remembrance day.

I half-expect to hear someday about how this guy was caught getting his luggage lifted.

Posted by: dkeane | October 27, 2010 5:03 PM

Tried to send en email for the contact on the bottom left, but it was bounced. If you go to administration/superintendent, that email works.

Posted by: GaryU | October 27, 2010 5:07 PM

And he hasn't been tossed off the board yet?

This just happened, though. I doubt the board has even met since the event occurred. And probably the most they can do immediately is act on a motion stating they do not support that member's views.

If it works in Arkansas like it does in Kentucky, the member cannot be "fired" from the school board (because it is an elected position). To remove a member takes an act of the district court.

The Arkansas School Board Association made a statement today that I interpret as an indication that they are going to take action. My brother (a local school board chairperson) informs me that the school board associations have money and access to attorneys (along with political clout).

It's too soon to fault the board for non-action. That's my point.

My source

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 27, 2010 5:08 PM

"ruin the rest of our lives"?

yes, of course!

here, Lewis Black explains this phenomenon with another example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-id4GKsaQk

Posted by: Yoritomo | October 27, 2010 5:15 PM

I'm not sure what the school administration can do. Isn't "school board member" an elected position? That would make it rather difficult to get rid of McCance, no matter how little the admistration likes his stance.

Otherwise I'm with Janine @7, though I'd have chosen "stupid and evil" instead of "a bigot".

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | October 27, 2010 5:16 PM

ruin the rest of our lives

I had no idea the color purple had the capacity to ruin the rest of anyone's life.

I'll have to remember this.

Posted by: Volant Proboscidian | October 27, 2010 5:18 PM

Disgusting. This kind of mindset makes me physically sick. It absolutely terrifies me that people like this are not only out there, but potentially in positions to spread such venomous bigotry to children.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | October 27, 2010 5:20 PM

I, uh, fuck...I'm at a loss for words here. All the Tone Trolls™ and the Liberal Xians™ who keep showing up to tell us that we need to be softer, quieter, easier in our approach while also saying things aren't that bad need to be slapped with this. Repeatedly.

Being a fag doesn't give you the right to ruin the rest of our lives. If you get easily offended by being called a fag then don't tell anyone you are a fag. Keep that shit to yourself. It pisses me off though that we make a special purple fag day for them. I like that fags cant procreate. I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die.

I much prefer this after it's been run through Bad Translator:

"Smoke does not give you the right to life, to collapse. If you are easily offended, this is because a cigarette or a leg to know, "he said. Remember, dog droppings for myself. It bothers me that we have a special day begins with the ball. I like cigarettes, can not be produced. In fact, I often love one another tool and die."

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | October 27, 2010 5:25 PM

dWhisper:

The radio station I normally tune in to this morning scrapped most of it's music play to discuss it, and there was pretty much no support for this asshole.

That's heartening. It's all the more reason for voices to raised in outrage and contempt for this...person. We need to make it clear that this sort of hateful bigotry is not socially acceptable.

Posted by: Don Quijote | October 27, 2010 5:30 PM

Please tell me what all this is coming to. As a European I find all this very frightening.

Posted by: nonsensemachine | October 27, 2010 5:33 PM

"It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice." - Deng Xiaoping

"...and isn't Jewish." - nonsensemachine

Posted by: Ben Goren | October 27, 2010 5:35 PM

Walton @#15, this scumbag’s comments are as blatant an open a threat as anybody ever makes. He has, in no uncertain terms, expressed his intent to kill anybody he suspects of being other than heterosexual if he thinks he can get away with it.

If I were an inspector in any police force with him in my jurisdiction, I'd be right now combing my unsolved murder files, looking for ones with victims who were or could have been mistraken for being LGBT, and seeing if McCance is a reasonable fit as a suspect.

Seriously. The man is a homicidal sociopath, and society needs to be protected from him. Now.

Cheers,

b&

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 27, 2010 5:39 PM

Um... no, he doesn't. He hasn't committed a crime. He's expressed a deeply bigoted and hateful viewpoint, but that isn't a crime. He's protected by the First Amendment (and rightly so).

it depends on what he does with that opinion.

what would you say if it became clear that someone committed suicide because of his vocal opinions condeming them?

what if he constantly wrote people you know to alert them to the "fact" that you're a "sinful, slutty, fag that will probably give everyone around you aids"

what would you think of him then?

what if he were on your law committee, and responsible for whether or not you get a law degree?

Posted by: masturbating monkey | October 27, 2010 5:44 PM

He now says it's "blown out of proportion"

Typical response when someone makes an ass of themselves (yeah it's themselves genius) by letting the world know they are bigoted dick heads.

Funny how extreem some people get when they do something in the name of their god, but when the responsibility comes back and bites them in the ass it's blown out of proportion, or not what they really meant.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | October 27, 2010 5:48 PM

it depends on what he does with that opinion.

what would you say if it became clear that someone committed suicide because of his vocal opinions condeming them?

what if he constantly wrote people you know to alert them to the "fact" that you're a "sinful, slutty, fag that will probably give everyone around you aids"

what would you think of him then?

what if he were on your law committee, and responsible for whether or not you get a law degree?

Did you read the second half of my post?

He absolutely should be removed from the school board, however. (If the board fails to take action against him, there need to be public protests, petitions to the state legislature, and the like.) And it's incredibly frightening that someone with such batshit insane homicidal fantasies was ever elected to a position of power in the first place. Certainly, no one like that should be let anywhere near the administration of the school system.

I don't think we're actually disagreeing on anything here. :-/ I've said pretty clearly that he is a batshit insane homicidal loon and that he should be removed from the school board, and from any other position of power or responsibility.

I just don't see that there's enough evidence of a crime to justify arresting him or bringing criminal charges, which is what I understood Ben Goren to be advocating.

If I were an inspector in any police force with him in my jurisdiction, I'd be right now combing my unsolved murder files, looking for ones with victims who were or could have been mistraken for being LGBT, and seeing if McCance is a reasonable fit as a suspect.

Fine. But in the absence of any current evidence that he has actually been involved in any crimes against LGBT people, he is innocent until proven guilty. Even scumbags are entitled to a presumption of innocence.

Like I said (and I'll say it again, since I don't want to be misunderstood), he is a deeply bigoted and hateful asshole, and he absolutely should be removed from the school board and from any other positions of responsibility that he holds. But he shouldn't be charged with a crime unless there's evidence that he's actually committed one - which, as far as we currently know, there isn't.

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 27, 2010 5:52 PM

btw, about the first amendment.

don't forget THIS part of it:

(4) Incitement to crime: It is a crime to incite someone else to commit a crime, and such speech is not protected by the First Amendment.

http://www.csulb.edu/~jvancamp/freedom1.html#incitement

Is Glenn Beck inciting violence?

http://www.secularhumanity.com/is-glenn-beck-inciting-violence/

The "Glenn Beck defense":

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/10/12/progressive_hunter_gunman_cites_glenn_beck

Posted by: lose_the_woo | October 27, 2010 5:52 PM

It pisses me off though that we make a special purple fag day for them.

Wow. I didn't know that only having a 3rd grade mentality (from circa 1950's era) could get someone elected to a school board.

That person, and those like him, should not have any position of responsibility or decision-making capacity affecting any policy whatsoever.

Posted by: icanseebyinfrared | October 27, 2010 5:55 PM

When I first read his comments I thought "He writes like he's twelve".

I thought, "He writes like he's a /b/tard.
Sigh. Non-internet hate machine...

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | October 27, 2010 6:01 PM

Funny how extreem some people get when they do something in the name of their god, but when the responsibility comes back and bites them in the ass it's blown out of proportion, or not what they really meant.

And he needs to be called on that, in great detail.
"So you don't dislike gay people? So you like them? And you don't want them to get AIDS? So you support more funding for AIDS research? And you support purple day?" and so on and so on, as uncomfortable as he can be made, and as much to make him say things on camera opposite to what his supporters would want, or to make him crack and go nuclear bigot (even more so).

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 27, 2010 6:03 PM

Arkansas has anti-bullying laws in place.

and support groups, too:

http://www.focusas.com/Arkansas.html

Posted by: Ben Goren | October 27, 2010 6:03 PM

Carlie @#38, I can only dream of Rachel Maddow interviewing this motherfuckingsonofabitchasshole.

Cheers,

b&

Posted by: https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawmqD_mcUIrSfOTlK3iGVsnEDcZmI43srbI | October 27, 2010 6:16 PM

Is anyone else thinking "rent boy"?

Posted by: A Bad Idea (♀) | October 27, 2010 6:18 PM

Your concern about my concern is noted. :)

Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM | October 27, 2010 6:21 PM

AW FRIG WRONG THREAD SORRY.

Never happened before, except almost daily...*apology accepted*

Posted by: MAJeff, OM | October 27, 2010 6:22 PM

I remember a couple years ago when I was guest posting, I wrote a post about how the anti-gay right's biggest issue with gay folks was the fact we existed. Quite a few people were like, "Oh, that's just hysterical paranoia."

Um, they hate the fact we're alive. This motherfucker is speaking for a lot of people.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | October 27, 2010 6:25 PM

MAJeff:

Um, they hate the fact we're alive. This motherfucker is speaking for a lot of people.

Unfortunately true. All the more reason to drive home to these brainless mouth-breathers that their views are not acceptable.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | October 27, 2010 6:29 PM

flatlander:

The man is pond-scum, but he is duly elected pond-scum. Election by the people [no matter how ill-advised the people may have been in our opinion] is not something to be cavalierly tossed aside for mere statements of opinion,

Yes, it is a reason for him to cavalierly tossed out on his ass. What makes you think he aired these views previously? Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.

The point is a simple one - this hate-filled bag of putrid bigotry has no place on a board of education. You really want someone like this making school policy, deciding what children learn? Time for a reality check.

Posted by: MAJeff, OM | October 27, 2010 6:33 PM

Lest anyone think this is isolated in Arkansas or the South, here's a report about a friend of the GOP candidate for Governor of Minnesota:

http://minnesotaindependent.com/58393/gop-linked-punk-rock-ministry-says-executing-gays-is-moral

Posted by: Ben Goren | October 27, 2010 6:36 PM

flatlander wrote:

But he was also elected to his seat on the school board by the voters of his district. People are asking if there is anything that can be done to remove him. I hope not. He should not be forcibly removed from his elected position for saying what he said, no matter how reprehensible sane people think his comments were. He did not advocate any illegal activity. [E.g. he did not call for "good" students to beat up gays.] He has a first amendment right, as an elected school board member, to make an ass of himself on his website if he wants to.

And the people have the right — nay, the duty — to remove from office those who so horribly fail their civic obligations.

The fact that this man has been entrusted with supervising the care and upbringing of the students in his community and has just threatened to murder a sizable percentage of them means that being ejected from office should be the least of his worries.

Cheers,

b&

Posted by: jdgarrett | October 27, 2010 6:39 PM

I grew up about half a mile outside the Midland school district. I live in Iceland now. I think that's far enough away, but one can never be too sure.

Posted by: hje | October 27, 2010 6:41 PM

The Christo-fascists feel emboldened by the thought of regaining political power in next week's election. We are entering a dangerous period of American history, and it disturbs me that extremist rhetoric is becoming more and more mainstreamed. How long until talk of political violence (including assassinations) and sedition or insurrections (militias/second Amendment solutions) become the daily norm on talk radio and Faux News? We've already seen enough of this thuggery to know where we could be headed in America.

Scary times. Time to be vigilant.

Posted by: truckloadbear | October 27, 2010 6:46 PM

Joe.My.God is ALL over this.

That Arkansas dirtbag is sending a hell of a message to any queer kids in his district.

Posted by: flatlander | October 27, 2010 6:49 PM

Caine 54:

You ask: The point is a simple one - this hate-filled bag of putrid bigotry has no place on a board of education. You really want someone like this making school policy, deciding what children learn?

Of course I don't want him making school policy, and I agree he doesn't belong on that or any other school board. But he was elected to the post. No elected official should be removed mid-term for the mere expression of an opinion, however repellent that opinion might be. The voters put him in. Unless he advocates illegal activity, it's up to the voters to remove him at the next election.

We'd all be outraged if a school board member in Texas was removed mid-term for saying evolution must be taught in the schools and creationism should not. If there is a mechanism in place to remove elected officials mid-term for the mere expression of ideas, there is not way to prevent it's being used in ways we would not like, no way to limit its being applied only to the expression of ideas we find repellent.

It's up to the voters to remove him via the ballot box.

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 27, 2010 6:52 PM

No elected official should be removed mid-term for the mere expression of an opinion

I'm getting tired of people ignoring what i post.

READ THE AK ANTIBULLYING STATUTE.

I fucking posted it right in this very thread.

the man can indeed be considered to have violated it.

Posted by: Ben Goren | October 27, 2010 6:52 PM

flatlander wrote:

Unless he advocates illegal activity[….]

Haven’t you been reading this thread? Bullying schoolchildren is illegal activity. That he himself has engaged in. And the school board is required by law to be the ones to create and enforce anti-bullying policies!

I’m sorry, but criminal malfeasance on the part of an elected official just doesn’t get any plainer than this.

Cheers,

b&

Posted by: Alverant | October 27, 2010 6:59 PM

McCance just opened his big stupid mouth again. He said he'll wear purple IF gays commit suicide.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/10/ark-school-official-accused-antigay-screed/

Of course the irony is people were wearing purple because gays were killing themselves, except most people want it to stop and he seems to want more of it.

He has the right to his disgusting opinion, but I don't think he was threatening anyone. Words aren't deeds. If I said "I wish all terrorists would blow themselves up before they kill more innocent people!" That's not a threat, it's wishful thinking. But this clown is in a position of power over children. If he found out one of his students are gay or supports gay rights, what happens? Does he harass them, fail them, lie about them? I'd like to see some evidence he mixed his personal views with his professional obligations.

If the situation were reversed, say an Atheist teacher spoke out about christianity, how many of us would be calling for his firing? PZ has said a lot of bad (albeit true) things about religion but he keeps that separate from the classroom and as far as I know has never let it influence how he teaches. As disgusting as McCance is, he deserves the same consideration.

Posted by: Rey Fox, Bird Caller Guy | October 27, 2010 7:02 PM

"I had no idea the color purple had the capacity to ruin the rest of anyone's life."

Rev, it doesn't go with anything else the guy wears! How is he supposed to coordinate when the gays force him at gunpoint to wear purple?

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | October 27, 2010 7:09 PM

"Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves," McCance allegedly wrote. "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."

The state Education Department said in a statement Wednesday that it had no jurisdiction over elected school officials but that it would investigate any reports of bullying that arise because of the incident.

Yeah, I'm sure that will help.

"The Arkansas Department of Education strongly condemns remarks or attitudes of this kind and is dismayed to see that a school board official would post something of this insensitive nature on a public forum like Facebook," the department said.

So, it was simply insensitive?

Source

Posted by: Ternon | October 27, 2010 7:12 PM

Can some straight person explain to me how exactly does being a fag ruin your straight lives?

I can't even imagine the reasoning behind such statement..

Posted by: Sioux Laris | October 27, 2010 7:14 PM

Is this a Godwin?

Given the utterly, monstrous things he says ("I enjoy the fact they often give each other aids and die.") I can say I'd be offended if his target were members of Dubya & Cheney's inner circle, the KKK leadership, Bin Laden & his bestest pals, or the founders of the National Socialists.

I hope he has someone to wipe any the foam around his mouth, and that he isn't contagious.

No wonder such Xians pray for Armageddon, given the death-in-life they lead.

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 27, 2010 7:17 PM

His opinions are repellent and ignorant, we both agree,

How many elected officials have been forced out of office for saying much less?

seriously, you haven't got a leg to stand on here.

Posted by: archaeopteryx2 | October 27, 2010 7:30 PM

All you motherfuckers talking about how this is the norm in Arkansas and how we're all a bunch of knuckledragging gay-haters can kiss my ass. Which of you lives in a state (or country) that doesn't have bigoted, hateful, homophobic, Jebus-loving racist lunatics? Each of you that can truthfully say that you do can keep bad-mouthing us Arkies. The rest of you owe us an apology.

Posted by: SallyStrange, Spawn of Cthulhu | October 27, 2010 7:33 PM

Point taken, Archeopteryx, but I'm still glad that there's a hell of a lot fewer of them in my state. Regional cultural differences are a real thing.

Posted by: vargonian | October 27, 2010 7:34 PM

Did anyone else notice that the disclaimer on the web site is about as non-committal as it can be? It doesn't say anything about respecting diversity or being opposed to discriminating against people's sexual orientation, etc.

Perhaps it was done simply with the intention to not take a stance one way or the other.

Posted by: lorigb | October 27, 2010 7:34 PM

I can't imagine him not resigning after all of this...then again, I can't imagine anyone being such an awful person as to say this shit, so maybe he's quite capable of ignoring all the backlash and stubbornly refusing to leave.

Posted by: Rapscallion | October 27, 2010 7:46 PM

@ archaeopteryx2

I spent several years in Arkansas so I know the state isn't full of "knuckledragging gay-haters". The northwestern corner around Fayetteville is pretty nice; the delta is not...in fact the delta is pretty much western Mississippi.

On the other hand this guy is on the school board so I assume he was elected by a popular vote so...

Posted by: Stardrake | October 27, 2010 7:55 PM

MAJeff, OM @56:

Lest anyone think this is isolated in Arkansas or the South, here's a report about a friend of the GOP candidate for Governor of Minnesota:

http://minnesotaindependent.com/58393/gop-linked-punk-rock-ministry-says-executing-gays-is-moral

Too right--and note that Bachmann is also a long-time supporter of these pseudo-punks.

This is why I don't pile on to complaints about the South anymore--with my glass house electing maniacs like Bachmann, I'm in a piss-poor position to be throwing stones.

(Fortunately, Emmer isn't doing so well, so there is some hope....)

Posted by: archaeopteryx2 | October 27, 2010 8:01 PM

@92--McCance was elected by a popular vote of one of the smallest districts in the state, one that has been fighting consolidation for racist reasons. It's not representative of the whole state. And I live in the Mississippi Delta, and I can assure you I'm not a homophobe. I have many friends who are liberal, open-minded folks, and I have friends and students who live openly gay happy lives here. Yes, we have all those stereotype bigoted racist homophobic folks--just like you do in your state.

Paint the whole state as backwards crackers, and you know what that is? Bigoted.

@91--I'll apologize as soon as those people above who "know" about how this is the norm in Arkansas apologize.

Posted by: MAJeff, OM | October 27, 2010 8:12 PM

@96...

...remember, though, in 2008 voters in Arkansas amended the constitution in order to keep "unmarried" people from adopting--which was actually about gay people, but had to be framed as all unmarried people because of state court decisions. No, the entire state isn't murderously homophobic. A majority of the state is anti-gay, though.

And I say that recognizing that, most likely, a plurality, if not a majority, of Americans is anti-gay. Majorities in most states will vote to fuck over same-sex couples. I'm not sure majorities of most states would vote to keep kids from being adopted anymore, but I could be wrong.

Posted by: archaeopteryx2 | October 27, 2010 8:27 PM

@98--I seem to remember a recent election in California in which a "majority" of people decided that gays weren't due the same civil rights as everybody else. Shall we all go on and on about how homophobic hate is the standard in California?

Posted by: MAJeff, OM | October 27, 2010 8:38 PM

#100

Wow, I think that was part of my fucking comment. But then again, California allows gay folks to adopt, and it provides substantial material benefits to same-sex couples. Same for Arkansas? I didn't say the entire populace of Arkansas was comprised of bigots. I even said that majorities of most states were. But to say that Arkansas is that same as California, that gay folks are treated the same, legally and culturally, in the two states....your sense of personal affront is overwhelming your analytical skills.

Posted by: Cosmic Snark | October 27, 2010 8:42 PM

KTHV in Little Rock has a poll on this issue:

"A Midland school board member is accused of posting anti-gay comments on his personal Facebook page. Should he resign?"

Currently, the poll results are:

Yes: 62.8%
No: 37.2%

A good start, but maybe it needs a little Pharyngulating.

Posted by: MAJeff, OM | October 27, 2010 8:54 PM

@105, oh how cute your lack of perspective and analysis is

Posted by: PerpetualDissent | October 27, 2010 9:02 PM

@82:

How many elected officials have been forced out of office for saying much less?

@85 "I have no idea. Do you? I doubt it. I know of appointed officials who've been asked for their resignations [or fired] for their statements."

@89

I have no idea.
which says volumes.
Do you?
yes, but then I actually read newspapers.
I know of appointed officials who've been asked for their resignations [or fired] for their statements.
wtf?
then YOU DO KNOW.
ok, you're full of shit.
bye.

He's not full of shit, you're just a moron who doesn't know the difference between an appointed official and an elected one. Hint: they're not the same.

Posted by: PerpetualDissent | October 27, 2010 9:04 PM

er, forgot to blockquote one of those. Ah well.

Posted by: Ichthyic | October 27, 2010 9:06 PM

He's not full of shit, you're just a moron who doesn't know the difference between an appointed official and an elected one.

of course, the issues relating to one have nothing to do with the other.

try googling for elected officials that have been removed from office or forced to resign.

not hard.

way to miss the point, asswipe.

Posted by: Ben Goren | October 27, 2010 9:22 PM

Damn straight, Icthyic.

Does nobody remember their Civics classes? Does the name, “Nixon,” have no meaning any more? Johnson and Clinton?

Elected officials are removed from office all the time without waiting for an election or holding a special election. And for far less serious infractions, to boot.

Again, this man is threatening to murder large portions of the student body.

Cheers,

b&

Posted by: djfav | October 27, 2010 9:24 PM

Homophobia is fucking gay.

Posted by: flatlander | October 27, 2010 9:30 PM

ben goren #58

You wrote: And the people have the right — nay, the duty — to remove from office those who so horribly fail their civic obligations.

Yes, the do. At the next election.

Posted by: flatlander | October 27, 2010 9:43 PM

Ichthy 86:

I notice you offer no examples of the elected officials who were forcibly removed from office for the expression of ideas that did not advocate illegal actions.

As I said, I know of appointed [not elected] officials who've had their resignations demanded by the officials who appointed them. You seem not to grasp the key distinction between elected officials [put in office by direct vote of the people] and appointed ones, who generally serve at the pleasure of the people who appointed them.

Sorry, but election by the people to any office is no trivial thing. People have the right to put in office damn fools if they wish to, and lord knows, they do that with depressing frequency. If being a certifiable damn fool was grounds for removal of an elected official mid-term, I'd be delighted. [I live in Utah.] In the state I live, no mechanism exists for the removal of elected local officials absent their having been convicted of criminal conduct. We've asked.

Posted by: Athena | October 27, 2010 9:49 PM

truthspeaker @ 103 - Good point, especially about the resistence to change.

SlantedScience @ 115 - What!?!?

Posted by: Ben Goren | October 27, 2010 9:50 PM

flatliner blathered:

I notice you offer no examples of the elected officials who were forcibly removed from office for the expression of ideas that did not advocate illegal actions.

Dude.

State law requires the school boards to put in place policies to prevent bullying and to appropriately discipline students who engage in it. A member of the school board engaged in bullying.

How the fuck can you fucking be so fucking cluless?

Fuck.

b&

Posted by: SlantedScience | October 27, 2010 9:58 PM

@122: I have a lot of interest (and quite a bit of influence) in the LGB web community. My question was perfectly clear, so if you'd like to answer it we can discuss things further.

Posted by: 'Tis Himself, OM | October 27, 2010 10:09 PM

SlantedScience #115

I think the Ts turn people away from the LGB cause; gender preference and gender identity are completely separate IMO, and when people begin connecting the two we may as well bring in the foot fetishists and granny lovers.

You forgot to mention NAMBLA. Sorry, you lose.

Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM | October 27, 2010 10:21 PM

SS hasn't learned his lesson and is posting here again. What an idjit, along with everything he says. Try some real evidence.

Posted by: What a maroon | October 27, 2010 10:29 PM

@78:

I really don't understand it. I mean, I kind of think of it like eating liver. Personally, I find the idea of eating liver repulsive, and I'd be pretty pissed if you tried to force me to eat it (which, I might add, my parents did when I was little; yeah, I guess I've got issues). Beyond that, I'd probably be a bit revolted if I saw you eating liver in public, but really that's my problem, not yours. I mean, it's not like I'm a vegeatrian, so I really have no right to judge. And there are probably a lot of people who would find my love of anchovies revolting.

The only thing I can think of is that there are some people who secretly love liver but are ashamed to admit it even to themselves, so they lash out at the liver lovers.

But the way I see it is, the more liver you're eating, the more anchovies for me.

Posted by: GaryU | October 27, 2010 10:39 PM

@ Ichthyic: Even if he violated that law, if the violation isn't a felony, he still can't be removed from the school board without an act of the courts. The board cannot remove him.

(Still making the assumption that the Arkansas laws are similar to Kentucky's)

@ archaeopteryx2: Yes! Living in Kentucky, I hear a lot of bashing of Kentuckians from people who have NEVER EVEN BEEN HERE. Broad brushstrokes, anyone?

Posted by: llewelly | October 27, 2010 10:50 PM

SlantedScience | October 27, 2010 9:24 PM:

The 3 are markers of declared sexual preference. The 1 is the result of a diagnosed psychiatric illness.

Your pretension that a "diagnosed psychiatric illness" is grounds for discrimination is disgusting.
Futhermore - transgender people who are allowed to express their gender identity suffer from depression less than those who are prevented.

Some Ts are attracted to their old gender, some to their new.

There is only one reason to be concerned about which gender(s) someone else is attracted to: if you yourself are attracted to them.

I think the Ts turn people away from the LGB cause; gender preference and gender identity are completely separate IMO, ...

Your implication that "Ts turn people away from the LGB cause" is a reason to reject transgender rights is equivalent to arguing that the blackest Africans should have been turned out of the civil rights movement because they turned other people away from the cause. It is disgusting. Transgender people deserve rights, and there is nothing wrong with including them in the LGBT movement.

and when people begin connecting the two we may as well bring in the foot fetishists and granny lovers.

And this, this is baffling. What could be wrong with loving feet or grandmothers?

Posted by: Shamar | October 27, 2010 10:55 PM

Holy s**t....that makes me so upset to see that a school board member should say something like this!

That bastard should not serve one more day on the school board!!!

Posted by: browncoatsyd | October 27, 2010 11:45 PM

llewelly@ 136

There is only one reason to be concerned about which gender(s) someone else is attracted to: if you yourself are attracted to them.

QFT

Posted by: Cath the Canberra Cook | October 28, 2010 12:17 AM

Man, if wearing purple is really all it takes to ruin this guy's life, I'm never wearing anything else. Too easy. I don't even have to find a woman to marry!

Kobra, I think the point is to express solidarity against the bullies. It's not going to do much as adults off in other countries, but an isolated gay kid at a school who sees a lot of other kids wearing purple is probably going to feel somewhat better just knowing that there's some support out there for them.

Posted by: Janine, The Little Top Of Venom, OM | October 28, 2010 12:31 AM

Man, if wearing purple is really all it takes to ruin this guy's life, I'm never wearing anything else.

Donny Osmund and his purple socks back in the seventies should have done the trick. And let us not forget the Purple One, Prince, in the eighties.

Posted by: Aratina Cage | October 28, 2010 1:06 AM

Why do Ts get always get thrown in with Ls, Gs and Bs?

Because L, G, B, AND T are all oppressed for the same reasons stemming from the same bullshit calls to tradition and the same religious doctrines. How about stopping to think about it for a minute: Why do some straight (and secretly LGBT) people hate confident, self-affirming, vocal (essentially: Gnu) LGB AND T people? You'll get the same reasons for all of them: Because it isn't natural? (Check) Because men should not act like women? (Check) Because women should worship the male physique? (Check) Etc.

We all want the right to be who we are, wear what we want, be with who we want, and not be with who we don't want, when we want.

The 3 are markers of declared sexual preference... blah blah blah.

I don't think anyone here wants to hear this shit from someone as trollish as you. Get over yourself.

I think the Ts turn people away from the LGB cause;

ORLY? What the fuck is the LGB cause if it is divorced from the T cause? Is there any part of the LGB cause that isn't intertwined with the T cause?

gender preference and gender identity are completely separate IMO, and when people begin connecting the two we may as well bring in the foot fetishists and granny lovers.

Foot fetishism--not illegal, not discriminated against. Granny loving--not illegal, not something you will lose your job over, young males can marry older women. Neither of those are identities, either. Now, fuck off with your hurtful and creepy ignorance.

Posted by: decisivefun | October 28, 2010 1:08 AM

Anybody care to translate SlantedScience’s Raving Shitnozzle Lunatic Fuckwad into English?

He is off-topic but it's actually a commonly (if infrequently discussed) perspective within the gay community. The distinction is sexual preference vs. "gender identity disorder" or transvestic fetishism. I don't own GLBT so it's not my fight, but I believe the excerpt below describes the general perspective of those who wish to reserve the gay rights movement to gays, lesbians, and bisexuals excluding transgender/transexual issues:

...it is hard to understand how the belief of a male patient "that he is a woman trapped in a man’s body differs from the feelings of a patient with anorexia nervosa that she is obese despite her emaciated, cachectic state.

Psychiatric Comorbidity of Gender Identity Disorders: A Survey Among Dutch Psychiatrists
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/160/7/1332

Posted by: Aratina Cage | October 28, 2010 1:17 AM

I have a lot of interest (and quite a bit of influence) in the LGB web community.

Oh, wow! That's a hoot! I bet you have a lot of influence, you betcha! You are probably very influential in making people in the LGBT web community run in the opposite direction because of your putrid stench.

Posted by: percyprune | October 28, 2010 1:20 AM

I looked at the state anti-bullying law posted at 43 and the thing that struck me is that it doesn't define what bullying is. It leaves it to the school districts to define bullying conduct rather than set a state standard.

Do we know what the bullying standard for McCance's school district is? And does that standard apply to board members as well as students and school employees?

Posted by: decisivefun | October 28, 2010 1:39 AM

why not split G into butch, twink, straight acting, bears, and so on?

Like bars?

Occasionally, one hears irritation that overtly effeminate gay men hurt the gay rights movement. I suppose it's a general contempt of feminine/female as inferior. This book touches on the subject:

Sissyphobia: Gay Men and Effeminate Behavior
http://www.amazon.com/Sissyphobia-Gay-Men-Effeminate-Behavior/dp/1560239905

Posted by: flatlander | October 28, 2010 2:04 AM

Tomh 149

Not all states have recall, and some states that have it limit its reach.

I'm not sure whether Arkansas has recall for school board members. If it does, it'd be the appropriate way to remove The Bozo from the board prior to the next election, since it would require that the electorate that put him in office to take him out of it.

Web search turned up this: Arkansas local officials subject to recall petition/election:
Ark. Code §14-47-112, 14-48-114, 14-61-119, 14-92-209
Mayor, member of board of directors, commissioners of suburban improvement districts (for the latter, a petition triggers a recall hearing, rather than an election).

The recall procedure is as follows: Recall may commence after 6 months in office.
No specific grounds are required.
No time limit for gathering signatures.
Signature requirement for mayors and directors is number equal to 35% of ballots cast for all candidates for the office at the preceding primary at which the officials were nominated or elected; for commissioners of suburban improvement districts requirement is number equal to 25% of the owners of realty within the district.

Source: The National Conference of State Legislatures. [ http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16540 ]

The document is dated 10 September 2010 do it is fairly current.

Posted by: https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawl1b5NtkCtLzBEqH7D_r_gXtYeZx028s04 | October 28, 2010 2:16 AM

Please do not assume that all of us in this state agree with this asshole, nor that we are standing by ignoring him. This is absolutely abhorrent behavior and dialogue from someone who is supposed to be caring for the welfare of children. What appalls me is that he seems to be completely ok with more children killing themselves.

We cannot fire him, as he was elected, but the officials of the education system are already looking at getting him out as quickly as possible. The Education department has also released a statement denouncing his remarks and affirming the intrinsic worth of every student.

Not all Arkansans are anti-GLBT. I have many gay friends, most of whom were born here. One of them is my daighter's "fairy godmother" (yes, he likes the nickname). My daughter knows that some people like people who are the opposite sex, like myself and my husband, and that others like people who are the opposite sex, like some of our friends.

So please don't lump us all into one intolerant, ignorant, unfriendly group, as you imply in your article. We get enough assumptions about our intelligence and sophistication levels as it is. Believe me, many of us will rejoice when this man is no longer part of our school system.

Posted by: Giliell, connaiseuse des choses bonnes | October 28, 2010 2:34 AM

Fucking, stupid, bigoted idiot
Everybody around him should just start wearing purple.
What about the rest of the schoolboard? All show up in purple for the next meeting.

I really have to say that this kind of stuff makes me glad to be in old Europe where you can have a gay minister of foreign affairs and a gay mayor of Berlin.
Their politics still sick, but that's what people are interested in, not whom they fuck in their bedrooms.

Americans, you really have to fix that. It's your country, your priviledge and duty to do something about it.
I know, I'm preaching to the converted here.

Posted by: Anubis Bloodsin the third | October 28, 2010 2:49 AM

@152

Do we know what the bullying standard for McCance's school district is?

Bullying is not tolerated like most xian school boards districts, totally rejected and abhorred, just as jebus would want and advocate, but it does not apply to teh gheys, they are exempt.

Especially if it pisses off a school board member in the Midland school district of Arkansas.
But the good news is he is very happy they give each other AIDS, so all is not lost then!

Posted by: mikee | October 28, 2010 3:25 AM

"Being a fag doesn't give you the right to ruin the rest of our lives." But being a homophobic christian does?

"If you get easily offended by being called a fag then don't tell anyone you are a fag."
A pity the same rule doesn't apply to homophobic christians

"It pisses me off though that we make a special purple fag day for them."
Could we please do away with all the christian holidays, including all Sunday christian celebrations?

"I like that fags cant procreate."
And I wish bastards like you couldn't!

I still can't believe this guy got elected to a school board.

@slantedscience

You are demonstrating the same sort of bigotry towards the transgendered, albeit more subtle. I think you need to take a good look at what makes you think this way.

Posted by: Giliell, connaiseuse des choses bonnes | October 28, 2010 4:44 AM

@Kobra #138
Well, it could also show to other homosexual students that there are people who are on their side and who don't accept that people are bullied. It's about making a public statement, about pushing homophobe bigots out of the middle of society.
It will help to make the odds shift into the wrong direction.
Look at it like this: there may still be quite a lot racists still around, but they can't spread their hate that easily because they get a massive backlash.
We have to make that true for homophobes, too.
Everywhere.

Posted by: Al B. Quirky | October 28, 2010 6:04 AM

Purple? How gay is that?

Posted by: Fred The Hun | October 28, 2010 7:29 AM

Don Quijote @20

Please tell me what all this is coming to. As a European I find all this very frightening.

At the risk of being called out on Goodwin's law, I find it ever harder to avoid the obvious analogy.

To be clear I recently traveled throughout Europe and it isn't that difficult to find similar sentiments surfacing amongst ultra right wing types there either.

Humans have the capacity to be enlightened and do great good however they just as easily slip into the darkness.

I hope that enlightenment wins but from what I see happening around the world today, my faith in my fellow man does upon occasion have some rather steep and sudden declines...

Best hopes for enlightenment!

Posted by: https://me.yahoo.com/a/xaStVywarZ6R9nrlSjv4D8_6GGA0PWmf#765c4 | October 28, 2010 7:54 AM

I think everyone, especially those in this guy's school district, should wear purple everyday until he either goes clinically insane and is committed to an institution or is forced to resign because he just can't stand looking at all that purple anymore.

Oh, to the person who is insistent that he's not violating the anti-bullying laws: he's condoning bullying, not just of anyone, but of a certain portion of the student body--whose protection he's charged with--who are prone to suicide. Actually, he's pretty much demanding it. Soo...

Squigit

Posted by: Katharine | October 28, 2010 8:07 AM

Not that dehumanization of anyone is a good idea.

But just when you think they couldn't get much worse, they do.

I am almost convinced humanity is speciating.

Posted by: Anubis Bloodsin the third | October 28, 2010 8:13 AM

@170

To be clear I recently traveled throughout Europe and it isn't that difficult to find similar sentiments surfacing amongst ultra right wing types there either.

Although it is a fact, the position this guy enjoys is worth far more damage points then a few skinheads pretending relevance.
And those heroes seem to represent the majority of the mindless right wing rhetoric found in the darker corners of Europe, including the BNP who are beyond the pale with the camouflage techniques, but scratch the surface and they bleed toxic sludge like any bigoted organisation.

But on top of that point the main contention that fluffs their bunny tails is immigration, with thinly veiled antipathy to Islamic considerations.

Homosexual hatred not so much, although again it is not exclusive.

But it is also true that a few serious bunnies with dreams of a 4th Reich glory are apparent along with Nick Griffin there is Le Pen and to a lesser extent Gert Wilders in the netherlands.
Other countries in Europe also have the right wing...but they are more or less sidelined for the mos tpart

But in Wilders case he does have elected mandate, although at the moment the rest of the Dutch government are rather bending the democratic meme in their attempts to sideline him.

But their issues are focussed on immigration as I say...not so much teh ghey hatin'

Posted by: Fred The Hun | October 28, 2010 8:48 AM

Anubis Bloodsin @176,

I agree with your points.

My only minor quibble would be that more often than not, those that are focused on immigration issues are quite frequently, at least in the US, the same people who have a general disdain for human rights. Including bias against people of different sexual orientation other than their own.

I think these are all symptoms and manifestations of the same underlying disease.

Posted by: Silent Service | October 28, 2010 9:52 AM

MAJef @50,

I remember a couple years ago when I was guest posting, I wrote a post about how the anti-gay right's biggest issue with gay folks was the fact we existed. Quite a few people were like, "Oh, that's just hysterical paranoia."

Um, they hate the fact we're alive. This motherfucker is speaking for a lot of people.

RAmen, brother! RAmen!!!

Posted by: johnnyhutch | October 28, 2010 9:59 AM

The straightest man in the world is from Arkansas and he says, "It's Okay To Be Gay". This is amazing. See for yourself:

Posted by: legistech | October 28, 2010 10:12 AM

I really wouldn't want to set up a principle where making a statement that might violate a policy that you're partially responsible for enacting would potentially be a reason to fire someone outright. Ichthyic, you're letting your quite understandable anger cloud your judgement.

Clint should not be on the school board. He's a repugnant person. But there shouldn't be a rush to convict him on a flimsy basis -- if it works, it would just be turned around later and misapplied, likely in the worst possible way.

The law Icthyic cited indicates the board members need to set up the policy. Assuming he's done that, he's fulfilled the requirements of that law. He may or may not have violated the policy, depending what it actually is. For all I know, it's some psychotic policy that excludes statements about sexual orientation from the definition of bullying.

If there's a public recall process available, that might be the best way to deal with this. Otherwise, I would start looking for other laws or policies that apply to school board members that he might have broken.

Posted by: Ken | October 28, 2010 10:30 AM

Wow, he talks just like many of the commenters here -- which are endorsed by the blog host -- but when someone expresses a different opinion...well, then its bad. No hypocrisy here.

Imagine the outrage if he not only said that, but also defiled a rainbow bumper sticker or something.

Posted by: Cosmic Snark | October 28, 2010 12:05 PM

Correction to misleading wording in my last comment - McCance did not actually kick one of his children to the curb for being gay, but he said he would if he found out one of his children was gay. Apologies.

Posted by: Brianblackberry | October 28, 2010 1:44 PM

Then there is his third quote: "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. See it infects everyone(sic)".

Imagine being that guy's kid...

Posted by: Sean O'Doherty | October 28, 2010 5:08 PM

Posted by: Ken | October 28, 2010 10:30 AM

Thanks for confirming that you're dumb.

Posted by: BillC | October 28, 2010 11:09 PM

My email to the Midland school board:

“Arkansans…are you aware of the shame brought on your state by people like Clint McCance who rant about fags?"

"I lifted and modified the headline from the blogsite Phayngula but the sentiment is real."

"I read your disclaimer and applaud it. It’s too bad that his inappropriate comments referenced something relating to the school (the wearing of purple by students as a commemorative gesture). I don’t envy you in your stated task of providing a safe environment for your students – you must be aware that such a rant will inevitably embolden those few who share his views and perhaps undo much of your work.”

Posted by: flatlander | October 28, 2010 11:41 PM

Katrina 196

I don't want to be a grinch here, but word is he is up for re-election in early November and he is unopposed. Does he intend to resign now [and be re-elected], or will he resign after his re-election so someone else will fill the seat? Just wondering if anyone knew.

Posted by: Steven Dunlap | October 29, 2010 11:36 AM

@ Flatlander #197

I don't want to be a grinch here, but word is he is up for re-election in early November and he is unopposed.

According to A story in the Advocate the Midland school board had its election last September. Had he not resigned, he would have served on the board until 2014.

Posted by: Chip | October 29, 2010 1:23 PM

I was going to link to the article about his resigation, but I see a couple of other folks beat me to it.

I did want to note that he seems rather surprised to have received threats and hate mail over his stance. In a perfect world, perhaps that would allow him to stand in the shoes of the kids he's been vilifying and understand their pain. Unfortunately, I suspect that he'll never make the connection.

Posted by: alysonmiers | October 29, 2010 1:44 PM

McPants thinks his offense was using nasty language. You don't get it, McPants. It's not that you have a foul mouth. It's not that you "went too far." It's that you're a deeply deficient human being.

Posted by: Ing: PhD Trollologist | October 29, 2010 9:18 PM

@203

GAH the QUeer INC group by where I work does that bullshit (they are a complete failure as a group IMO due to their utter inability to communicate a single damn point). They protested and complained about Dan Savage as an unfit representative of the Queer community. Why? He uses the word "Faggot". Oh never mind he uses it in an endearing way that clearly implies no offense, just ignore the tone and context all together; they pretty much actually argue his use of the word invalidates the entire It Gets Better project.