• Posted on Thursday, August 26, 2010
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Openly gay Kansas candidate gets death threat on door

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Democratic Kansas House candidate Dan Manning said he came home from work early Saturday morning and found a death threat clipped to the outside of his apartment door.

The note was created with letters cut from newspapers and other publications, and it noted that he's a candidate for the House. It said "Will DIE," "Kill," "MURDER" and "Head OFF." It also used two derogatory references to homosexuality.

Manning said he checked his doors and windows to make sure he was safe. He said he immediately reported the note to Wichita police.

Capt. Joe Dessenberger said police have not identified any witnesses or suspects. The letter is being checked for fingerprints.

"If their point was to intimidate me, they did," Manning said Wednesday. But he said the intimidation dissolved over the course of about half a day. "The only thing it really accomplished was to strengthen my resolve."

Manning is openly gay. He is a board member of Knights Out, a group of West Point alumni, staff and faculty who support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender soldiers to openly serve in the military. He graduated from West Point in 2004.

Manning said he doesn't hide his sexual orientation, but he said it's not central to his campaign. Voters care about jobs, education and the economy, he said.

Read more of this story at Kansas.com

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