1) I’d like to take this opportunity to assure you that there are plenty of us in this state who believe in education, equality, and not using the word “thereselves.” We also wear shoes and have indoor plumbing and don’t actually marry our relatives.

2) That said, Pleasant Plains is a shithole. It’s very near where I went to college (a lovely little liberal arts school), and I’d say that McCance’s views aren’t that unusual for his community. The Arkansas Times went to a protest, and there were locals counterprotesting those there in favor of McCance resigning. They seemed to believe most of those against McCance were city folk with no morals, who needed to get the hell out of their town, where, if there are any gay kids, they stay in the closet where they belong, gosh darnit.

I’m glad McCance chose to resign, because he was running for re-election unopposed, and there’s no way to remove a school board member (no recall process, and they can’t be fired). So, he could have hunkered down and stayed in his job. Instead he resigned and went on Anderson Cooper. I take that as a sign of progress, and I hope that, beyond learning to watch what he says, that he will examine his heart and learn some compassion.

The Internet has power, but sufficient power to scare someone out of their long-held beliefs. He didn’t go from being a homophobe to being an LGBT supporter; he went from being a severe homophobe to a moderate homophobe. Some Internet outrage isn’t going to cure him. No doubt he’ll carry a grudge now, but he’ll keep it to himself.

The rest of us think you’re a steaming hompohobic sack of shit.