Maine Candidate Who Called Parkland Shooting Survivor ‘Skinhead Lesbian’ Drops Out

[Clone]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ma...cid=spartanntp

Maine Candidate Who Called Parkland Shooting Survivor ‘Skinhead Lesbian’ Drops Out Amid Outrage

A candidate for the Maine House of Representatives who insulted two survivors of the school Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida, has dropped out of the race after backlash to his comments, according to multiple reports.

Leslie Gibson, a Republican, had been running unopposed for a state House seat in Maine’s 57th district. On a Twitter account that has since been deactivated, Gibson insulted Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg, two students who survived the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17. Gonzalez and Hogg have since become prominent advocates for gun violence prevention.

According to the Press Herald, Gibson wrote of Gonzalez, 18, “There is nothing about this skinhead lesbian that impresses me and there is nothing that she has to say unless you’re a frothing at the mouth moonbat.”

The paper reports that he called Hogg, 17, a “bald-faced liar.”

The comments drew widespread condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans.
Following the comments, Hogg called on other people in Maine to run for the seat, tweeting, “Who wants to run agains this hate loving politician…. I don’t care what party JUST DO IT.”

The New York Times reports that as of Friday, one Democrat, Eryn Gilchrist, and one Republican, Thomas H. Martin Jr., had entered the race.
Martin told the Times that GIbson’s comments “gave the state a black eye.” He added, “They weren’t the true feelings of the state or the Republican Party — or any party — I have to believe.”

In a statement from the Maine Democratic party, Gilchrist said, “I never thought I would run for office, and I was perfectly content with just remaining a member of the community, but after reading Mr. Gibson’s comments I thought that the people of Greene and Sabattus deserved a representative who will respect people and try to work through their differences to make our lives better.”

The Twitter account on which Gibson posted the disparaging comments has been deactivated while his campaign account and his campaign account is now private, CNN reports.

According to the Press Herald, in a later tweet, Gibson apologized to Gonzalez, writing, “I would like to extend to you my most sincere apology for how I addressed you. It was wrong and unacceptable. You are doing work that is important to you. I would like to extend my hand in friendship and understanding to you.”

Addressing his exit from the race, Gibson told the Press Herald on Friday, “I am not walking away with my head hung low. I am walking away with my head held high.”

Gonzalez came into the public eye after an 11-minute speech at an anti-gun violence rally two days after the shooting.
“We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks,” she said. “Not because we’re going to be another statistic about mass shooting in America, but because … we are going to be the last mass shooting.”

She told PEOPLE in February, “There has been such a dramatic shakeup in my life,” and added, “I need to see what I can add to the human race, at this point.”

After Gibson dropped out, Gonzalez retweeted a fellow Stoneman Douglas survivor who referenced Gibson’s exit and wrote, “It’s what he deserves.”

Hogg is a student journalist who, while huddled with his classmates inside a classroom during the shooting, interviewed them in real time about gun violence prevention.

After he became outspoken on gun issues, he became the focus of an unfounded conspiracy theory that he was a “crisis actor.”
“It’s annoying. I hate it. But it’s part of American democracy,” Hogg said in a phone interview with the Washington Post. “Am I an actor? No. Am I a witness? Yes.”

[Elba]

Well well well

[Endus]

Because publicly and openly abusing children who are the surviving victims of an immediately recent and horrendous school shooting is something that good, upstanding people would ever think of doing.

Where's that sarcasm tag thingy? Seriously, I applaud these kids for soaking up this abuse and continuing on. Surviving the shooting was making it through a terrible tragedy by chance and luck. Surviving the onslaught of petty abuse directed their way and fighting back against it is where they're showing real, deliberate strength of character. The first generates feelings of pity and empathy. The latter generates feelings of respect and encouragement.

And, by incidents like this, they're fighting back against asshats in power like this, and the kids are winning. Go get 'em. You're either old enough to vote or about to be; you get as much of a say in your country as anyone does.

[Rustedsaint]

This guy must have been thinking he could be the next trump by tweeting such bullshit instead he commited political suicide lol.
Goodbye to this douche

[Deleted]

Its pretty mean, but "Skinhead Lesbian" is a pretty good description xD

[Masark]

Its pretty mean, but "Skinhead Lesbian" is a pretty good description xD

#goodnameforapunkband

[Rennadrel]

One less self serving douchebag politician. That's the last thing America needs, or any country for that matter. It's obvious this arrogant worm doesn't care about others if he feels compelled to slander teenagers on Twitter because they are being critical of his stupid political party and of all the trigger happy rednecks in America. Anyone who thinks it is their indemnible right to own a weapon that can be used to commit mass murder, should be punched in the dick.

[Flarelaine]

Its pretty mean, but "Skinhead Lesbian" is a pretty good description xD

Do we know that?

[Deleted]

Its pretty mean, but "Skinhead Lesbian" is a pretty good description xD

Well, that's the first impression many people seem to get seeing her.

She was the wrong person to front this "movement", it turned many people off even before going into actual discussion.

[XDurionX]

Meh, not edgy enough

Few decades to late anyway.

[Varvara Spiros Gelashvili]

Well, that's the first impression many people seem to get seeing her.

She was the wrong person to front this "movement", it turned many people off even before going into actual discussion.

You know this based on?

I thought right wingers didn't focus on identity politics...

[Varvara Spiros Gelashvili]

Few decades to late anyway.

That's a nice pair of jackets.

[Deleted]

Well, that's the first impression many people seem to get seeing her.

She was the wrong person to front this "movement", it turned many people off even before going into actual discussion.

And nothing of value was lost.

[Deleted]

And nothing of value was lost.

Well, it killed the movement before it even really started.
To get the support of as many people as possible they better pick a more likeable/relatable person to be the face of this movement next time.

[GennGreymane]

Well, it killed the movement before it even really started.
To get the support of as many people as possible they better pick a more likeable/relatable person to be the face of this movement next time.

Are you implying the movement was not started by the students and thus had the ability to find better actors?

[Deleted]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ma...cid=spartanntp

I’ve nothing constructive to say about this excuse for a man.

[GennGreymane]

Nah, they could just have found a nice catholic girl to head the movement. /s

Nah Catholic would be too spicy.

[Deleted]

Are you implying the movement was not started by the students and thus had the ability to find better actors?

Maybe they actually shoulve hired actors

[GennGreymane]

Maybe they actually shoulve hired actors

Well at least we agree that these kids ain't actors :P

[Tiwack]

Caught up in his own implications. Nice.

Classic douche busy with labeling.