Mayor Threatened With Homophobic Note Sent From Anonymous Coward
27-year-old Alex Morse has accomplished a lot in his young life. After graduating from Brown University with a degree in Urban Studies and Planning, he was elected mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts (pop. 40.135) in 2011 when we was just 22, becoming the town’s youngest and first openly gay mayor. He was reelected in 2013, and again in 2015.
Over his tenure, he has received plenty of angry letters, tweets, and emails criticizing him and his policies. But earlier this week, he received a different kind of note:
“Alex, you are one of the most selfish people I know due to your ‘gay’ lifestyle,” it read. “You are going down.”
The note was not signed and had no return address.
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Morse chose to share it on Facebook.
“It’s a more threatening message than usual,” he tells the Boston Globe, “and given the context of the culture that seems to have been elevated since the Trump election, I thought it was important to shine a light on this language and behavior.”
He continues: “It’s different than writing a note that says, ‘I don’t support gay marriage,’ or ‘I don’t support rights for someone.’ But to demean someone’s humanity based on their sexuality takes it to another level.”
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Morse added that the current political climate in America is “disappointing” but emphasized that it is “more important than ever before to speak out and come together.” He also said that he plans to file a criminal report about the note.
See the note and read Morse’s Facebook post about it below…
