The Enforcer

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Anderson Cooper Forces Homophobic School Board Member to Resign On Air

3:55 PM 10/29/2010 by Lindsay Powers

After a heated discussion, Clint McCance admits his Facebook gay slurs were "hateful," and says, "I went too far."

On his CNN show Thursday, Anderson Cooper confronted a homophobic school board member -- leading him to resign on air.


Clint McCance, a member of the Midland School District board in Arkansas, had come under fire for writing on Facebook that he didn't want to wear a purple ribbons "because five queers committed suicide… the only way I'm wearing for them is if they all commit suicide."

Cooper told McCance, "Do you really hate gay people that much, that you like to see them die?"

"It was over the top, Anderson," McCance admitted. "It was -- I -- I just went too far with it."

Cooper continued to press him. "But, I mean, do you have any idea of the... pain and fear you have caused to kids maybe even in your own district who are being bullied or who are gay or who don't feel safe telling anyone that they're gay?" he asked him.

McCance eventually announced his resignation live on air so he wouldn't be a distraction for the board.

"If they decide later, you know, a year, five years, 10 years from now to vote me back in, if my constituents want that, then -- then I will run again," he said.

McCance later called his Facebook comments "hateful," and apologized for hurting people "on a broad, broad spectrum."