An LGBT activist left school board members in shock after directly threatening them, referencing Luigi Mangione, who allegedly murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by shooting him in the back on the streets of New York City in December 2024.
The comments came on March 31 during a public school board meeting in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, where LGBT activist Ian Seaman issued a thinly-veiled threat against the school board members for opposing pride flags in classrooms.
“It’s one thing to say we don’t want rainbow flags in our schools and to have the people that you pay $60,000 a year in journalism salary to, to repeat the talking points. It’s another thing to pay $60,000 a year, which is a teacher’s salary, to a Republican action committee, or anything like that. Fortunate for you, I’m no Luigi,” Seaman said, speaking directly to school board member Sean Cotton, whose family founded Meridian Health.
“But to some disgruntled teen with his or her father’s pistol or rifle, any of the other things you prefer in schools other than rainbow flags, you might be a Brian Thompson,” the activist added.
A deranged Pro-LGBTQ student at @GPSchools in Michigan appeared to threaten the life of a school trustee during a board meeting:
“Fortunate for you, I’m no Luigi– But to some disgruntled teen with his or her father’s pistol or rifle, any of the other things you prefer in school… pic.twitter.com/5J0ctJgPwi
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 3, 2025
Following Seaman’s shocking threat, Cotton told the crowd at the meeting: “You don’t always have your life threatened right here, and that guy Ian Seaman, he absolutely just did threaten my life. From my exercising representative government and democracy and the First Amendment, that’s pretty disconcerting. Seeing sociopaths like this guy, who referenced the United CEO who was murdered, and seeing how much happiness you see online to that murder, is pretty disconcerting where our society has gone. And seeing one of these people come up here and publicly speak, it’s pretty concerning.”
“I’m really taken aback by what just happened at that microphone regarding a person and a public servant,” Dr. Andrea Turtle, who was also present at the meeting, agreed. “And I would hope that all of you, regardless of your opinions, realize we are people first. And that was completely scary, and I’m shocked that it’s not being addressed differently, quite frankly, at this board, and that we’ve overlooked that, because it’s really hard for me to focus on anything but that, because that could be any one of us.”
Speaking with local news outlet Michigan Capitol Confidential, Cotton responded to Seaman’s comments by arguing that the LGBT activist had clearly been radicalized by people whose “months of reckless demagoguery that used me as a boogeyman contributed directly to his actions and the threat he made against my life.”
EXCLUSIVE: A Grosse Pointe Schools trustee is defiant after receiving an apparent death threat during a March 31 school board meeting. https://t.co/zCECyqKqjF
— MichCapCon (@MichCapCon) April 3, 2025
“While he did not explicitly mention my background in healthcare, it is clear he had done his homework, and I believe he likely knew of my former role,” Cotton told the outlet. “He ranted about my ownership of our community’s local newspaper, my political donations, and was clearly very angry and agitated about my participation in the democratic process.”
“While the incident was unsettling, it will not deter me from continuing to serve the Grosse Pointe community,” Cotton added. “I sought this role to help preserve and strengthen our public schools, championing academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and long-term stability. That mission remains as important to me today as ever.”
“I believe deeply in democracy and in the importance of representative government,” Cotton argued. “These are the bedrock principles of our nation. To serve in an elected role is both an honor and a responsibility. Threats and intimidation cannot be allowed to silence public servants or any citizen who chooses to participate in civic life.”
Meanwhile, Seaman insists that his remarks were not meant as a threat, telling Michigan Capitol Confidential: “I explicitly said I would never do that. I am not (Mangione). But if we keep not listening to people and what they need, we are in an environment where someone could do something drastic. That should be a scary thought for everyone.”
