Dean Stanley —

I have no doubt that this email to you will be but a drop in the ocean of outrage and ire that your inbox will be seeing, but I thought I’d write you nonetheless. I promise to be brief and polite, and all I ask of you is to listen.

I am one of thousands of people who felt shock and horror at the expression of hate that Midland school board member Clint McCance spewed on his Facebook page regarding Spirit Day. While his remarks show his ignorance to the tragic wave of teen suicides overwhelming our country, I have faith that you do not share that same lack of awareness. I believe that you, as a well regarded Superintendent and member of your community, can see the direct connection between the kind of cruelty Mr. McCance shared online and the compulsion of a lost and confused LGBT child to end their own life. It’s not much of a leap to link any self-harm inflicted on a questioning and fearful student to the threatening words he shared as an educator from your district.

A friend of mine hails from Arkansas, and she’s a reminder of the smart, creative, beautiful and open-minded people that hail from your area. Help foster that kind of Arkansan, and openly admonish the hate that has been propagated by Clint McCance.

Sincerely,

Jaime Sena
Menlo Park, CA