The First Amendment has come to the rescue for many an offensive display of free speech. And while there’s no debating with our rights or the Founding Fathers over something as childish as the ranting on a blog, there are certainly a few brow-furrowing thoughts that come about when a government official starts a blog to attack a college student.
But that’s what happened to Michigan’s Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell, who started a blog in April with the sole purpose of attacking the president of the University of Michigan Student Assembly Chris Armstrong, who is openly gay.
In an interview with CNN, Shirvell said he doesn’t have a problem with Armstrong’s sexual orientation, but rather his “radical homosexual agenda.”
In the first post on “Chris Armstrong Watch,” Shirvell writes that the purpose of this blog will be “to ensure that [Armstrong] does not discriminate against pro-life, pro-family, Christian and minority student organizations at U of M.”
One of Armstrong’s main platforms is to promote a gender-neutral university housing, where transitioning transgender students can room.
From a tolerant standpoint, this motion makes sense for many reasons; a male in the process of becoming female cannot, in theory, room with a female in a non-coed environment. And even while that specific group may not constitute a large part of the student body, gender-neutral housing on campus isn’t the radical or unheard of idea that it used to be.
But for some reason, a gay college student cannot even share the state with Assistant AG Shirvell, who has driven to Ann Arbor to protest outside of Armstrong’s home, follows Armstrong’s Facebook page and even attends his student assembly meetings.
Does this sound like a form of aggressive stalking to anyone else?
While bigotry tends to run the gamut on many progressive movements — Republican Senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell from Delaware asked if the next step from coed living is “orgy rooms” or “ménage e trios” — one has to ask why a public official, well, an assistant to a public official, would even care enough about a university’s student assembly leader to engage in ridiculous cyber bullying that not only makes him look bad, but also puts his boss in a tough position.
Shirvell has publicly defended his First Amendment right to maintain the blog during his “off-hours.”
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said in an interview with CNN that he was “a bit shocked” by his assistant’s blog and that he felt embarrassed for Armstrong receiving unwanted attention. It seems that Cox won’t be firing Shirvell for his off-hour “hobby,” but we hope this press doesn’t propel Shirvell’s agenda any further. The last thing we need is his ridiculous, immature blog to get any more attention than it has. There are too many people who can’t tell the difference between a healthy opinion and a politically charged agenda, or who hunger for 15 minutes of fame.
Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.
Follow The State Press on Twitter or like us on Facebook.
