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(Republican file photo)

HOLYOKE -- Mayor Alex Morse has a thick skin. Since becoming mayor of Holyoke five years ago at age 22, he's been subject to criticism in public forums and online. Yet a handwritten note he received this week spooked him.

An unsigned note was sent to Morse's home this week, one that disparaged his sexuality and threatened him.

It read, in full:

Alex,

You are one of the most selfish people that I know due to your "gay" lifestyle. You are going down.

Morse shared the note on his Facebook page Friday. He said that while "anonymous mail" doesn't typically bother him, he felt the need to share the letter following the election of Republican Donald Trump.

"Given we have a President-elect who just announced the appointment of an Attorney General who will do nothing to protect LGBTQ Americans and people of color, it's important to bring to light the progress we need to protect and the challenges still ahead," Morse wrote.