Mirror of Justice

A blog dedicated to the development of Catholic legal theory.
Affiliated with the Program on Church, State & Society at Notre Dame Law School.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

An Example LGBT Youth's Rational Fear of People of Faith

Clint McCance, a member of the Arkansas School Board, was reported in multiple media sources including the Huffington Post, to have posted the following to Facebook in response to recent calls for solidarity in preventing LGBT teen suicide...

"Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves. 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."

His further comments are so offensive that I don't believe they are appropriate for posting here. If this is what children hear from Christian-identifying education officials, what should our response be?

 

https://mirrorofjustice.blogs.com/mirrorofjustice/2010/10/an-example-lgbt-youths-rational-fear-of-people-of-faith.html

Powell, Russell | Permalink

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Well, what would have been a better response? I don't especially like this one; I am not by any means approving it. But seriously, what should one say. I suppose it is better to say nothing. If speak we must, what should it be?

We're sorry he killed himself because we're sorry he's dead, and especially that he's sorry that he died so young. I think we would be equally sorry if he was a sex-crazed Don Juan. Sexuality has nothing to do with it.

We might be tempted to ask if his sexuality contributed to his suicide. If homosexuality is a risk factor for suicide, I think the public health authorities should know about that. If it isn't, then I repeat: what does his sexuality have to do with anything?

Or is the point that since I disapprove of homosexuality, I somehow contributed to his untimely death? It wasn't you or I who disapproved of him, it was him who disapproved of himself. There's nothing I can do about that. I disapprove of all risk factors for suicide.