State attorney launches bizarre Internet war on openly gay college student

**troung** · 29 Sep 10,, 23:04

State attorney launches bizarre Internet war on openly gay college student
By Liz Goodwin liz Goodwin Wed Sep 29, 11:25 am ET
State attorney launches bizarre Internet war on openly gay college student | The Upshot Yahoo! News - Yahoo! News
Here's a curious test case for any public servant pondering a sideline as an online political activist. An assistant state attorney general for Michigan has created a blog devoted to discrediting the University of Michigan's student body president, who is openly gay.

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell has called student Chris Armstrong a "pervert" and "Satan's representative" on his blog, and admits to protesting outside the 21-year-old's home. He scours Armstrong's Facebook page and Armstrong's friends' Facebook pages and posts defaced photos of Armstrong on his site.

"You might wonder how is this man still employed in the attorney general's office," CNN's Anderson Cooper observed in a Tuesday-night segment on Shirvell.

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, Shirvell's boss, provided a written statement to CNN calling Shirvell's opinions "his alone," not those of the AG's office. "But his immaturity and lack of judgment outside the office are clear," Cox's statement added. Cox declined to comment further.

State laws protect employees' rights to express political opinions in off-hours.

You can watch Shirvell defend his campaign against the college student below:

"This is not some national figure, this is a guy who's running a student council," Cooper said.

Shirvell argued that Armstrong is a "political figure" and that as a concerned alum of the university he has a right to express his displeasure with Armstrong's support for gender-neutral campus housing. Armstrong supports such housing for transgender students who haven't had sex-reassignment surgery, CNN says.

Cooper suggested that Shirvell seemed obsessed with Armstrong.

Shirvell replied: "Chris Armstrong is a radical homosexual activist who got elected, partly funded by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, to promote a very deeply radical agenda. ... His biggest issue is gender-neutral housing."

[Related: Lesbian cadet comes out, quits West Point]

Denis Dison, spokesman for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which helps gay political candidates mount campaigns, tells the Upshot that Armstrong was an intern at their offices two years ago and went through candidate training at that time, but has received no funds from them. They do not endorse student government politicians.

He continued: "I've protested outside of his house, yes. ... I'm a Christian citizen exercising my First Amendment rights."

Armstrong -- who told CNN he has hired a lawyer but provided no details -- had not publicly addressed the attacks since they began nearly six months ago, but he told the student assembly Tuesday that he would continue to lead the student body.

"I will not back down. I will not flinch. I will not falter. I will not succumb to any unwarranted attacks. What I will do is I will carry on with the utmost pride and vindication," he said, according to the student paper.

[Photos: 'Don't ask, don't tell' debate]

Shirvell showed up at the assembly's first meeting to argue that Armstrong should resign his position. According to the student paper, he graduated in 2002 and once called members of the Log Cabin Republicans, a group that supports gay rights, "sick freaks" in emails to a member of the group.

The university's alumni association says it has no comment on the matter.

(Photo of Shirvell: screen shot from CNN.com.)

Other popular stories on Yahoo!:

• Biggest sign U.S. is losing influence in the world

• Surprising results in U.S. religious literacy survey

• Key factor pushes marriage rates to new low
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserve

**gunnut** · 30 Sep 10,, 00:33

The title is misleading. Mr. Andrew Shirvell was on his own time. As such, he is not a "state attorney."

Further more:

State laws protect employees' rights to express political opinions in off-hours.

Everything is legal and kosher here.

The title of the piece makes it sound like Andrew Shirvell was abusing his office as the state attorney.

Secondly, what does "bizarre" mean? Many christians believe homosexuality is immoral. It's a religious view. Calling it bizarre shows bias against christianity. I bet if a muslim group launches the same protest against homosexuality it would not be labeled as "bizarre."

**crooks** · 30 Sep 10,, 00:45

It sounds like he's got an unhealthy obsession and stalking Armstrong, which is a bit creepy - if he wants a date with Armstrong it would be easier to just ask

.

**gunnut** · 30 Sep 10,, 00:50

Originally Posted by crooks

It sounds like he's got an unhealthy obsession and stalking Armstrong, which is a bit creepy - if he wants a date with Armstrong it would be easier to just ask

.

Maybe he was turned down earlier?

**crooks** · 30 Sep 10,, 00:54

Originally Posted by gunnut

Maybe he was turned down earlier?

Possibly, hell hath no fury like a lawyer scorned. Or maybe he ran over his dog or something. It's strange to have such hateful obsessions for someone who's done you no personal harm, so something's not right with his head. Or he's just religious

.

**troung** · 05 Oct 10,, 20:59

October 1, 2010
Official to Face Hearing Over Blog Attacks
By EMMA GRAVES FITZSIMMONS
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/us...2michigan.html
An assistant attorney general in Michigan has taken a personal leave of absence and may be disciplined for his online attacks on a gay campus leader at the University of Michigan.

The official, Andrew Shirvell, has drawn national attention — and calls for his ouster — because of his attacks through his personal blog on the student, Chris Armstrong, who is believed to be the first openly gay president of the university’s student assembly. Mr. Shirvell has called Mr. Armstrong a racist with a “radical homosexual agenda.”

Mr. Shirvell, will face a disciplinary hearing when he returns to work, a spokesman for the attorney general said Friday. Mr. Armstrong, 21, has filed for a personal protection order against Mr. Shirvell.

University officials and students have come together to support Mr. Armstrong. The university has banned Mr. Shirvell from campus, and its president, Mary Sue Coleman, called his behavior reprehensible. “As a community, we must not and will not accept displays of intolerance,” Ms. Coleman said in a statement.

A Facebook group called We Support Chris Armstrong had more than 10,600 supporters on Friday.

The state’s attorney general, Mike Cox, said earlier this week that Mr. Shirvell had a right to express his opinions when he was not at work even though his actions were “offensive.” But on Friday, Mr. Cox’s office said that he decided to call a disciplinary hearing because more issues regarding Mr. Shirvell’s conduct had come to light in recent days.

The blog, which is called Chris Armstrong Watch, has been made private. In Mr. Armstrong’s request for an order of protection, he said that Mr. Shirvell took pictures outside his house at 1:30 a.m.

Efforts to reach Mr. Shirvell were unsuccessful, but in an interview on CNN, he said he had “protested” outside Mr. Armstrong’s home. Mr. Shirvell, who made the point many times during the interview that he was a University of Michigan alum, said that one of his major issues with Mr. Armstrong was his campaign to create “gender-neutral housing” on campus where students could live with someone of the same or opposite sex.

“I have no problem with the fact that Chris is a homosexual,” Mr. Shirvell said in the interview. “I have a problem with the fact that he is advancing a very radical agenda.”

Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, a Democrat, weighed in via Twitter, saying, “If I was still attorney general and Andrew Shirvell worked for me, he would have already been fired.” David Leyton, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, demanded that Mr. Shirvell be fired.

Mr. Armstrong, who did not respond to a request for an interview, was an intern this summer with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and in the past with the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

Denis Dison, communications director at the fund, said that a public official should not be bullying students.

“We are advocating that nobody engage in the type of harassment that he was engaging in,” Mr. Dison said.

**gunnut** · 05 Oct 10,, 21:15

What about his 1st amendment rights? Remember, the 1st amendment protects unpopular speech, because popular speech does not need to be protected.

**Roosveltrepub** · 05 Oct 10,, 21:19

Originally Posted by gunnut

What about his 1st amendment rights? Remember, the 1st amendment protects unpopular speech, because popular speech does not need to be protected.

He did nothing illegal that I could see. He should not be persecuted for being a bigot. Bigotry is it's own punishment. I dare say chances for his using his DA job to gain higher office are dead and the stress of that along with whatever was wrong with him mentally to fuel the obcession might warrant a need for a leave. Don't worry thoiugh He will return and quit to go work for Sen. Chambliss.....

**gunnut** · 05 Oct 10,, 21:30

Originally Posted by Roosveltrepub

He did nothing illegal that I could see. He should not be persecuted for being a bigot. Bigotry is it's own punishment. I dare say chances for his using his DA job to gain higher office are dead and the stress of that along with whatever was wrong with him mentally to fuel the obcession might warrant a need for a leave.

Exactly! That's why all "affirmative action" "hate crime" laws are illogical. I'm glad you see things my way.

Originally Posted by Roosveltrepub

Don't worry thoiugh He will return and quit to go work for Sen. Chambliss.....

So just like every other corrupt democrat who comes back to screw us more.