The Michigan Civil Rights Commission is
urging Attorney General Mike Cox to fire Andrew Shirvell for
attacking gay student Chris Armstrong.
The agency, which enforces the state's
anti-discrimination laws, unanimously
adopted a resolution on Tuesday condemning the assistant attorney
general's actions.
The resolution states that the
commission hopes an upcoming disciplinary hearing will “result in
the removal of this individual from an important public position.”
Armstrong, 21, became the subject of
attacks by Shirvell after he was elected president of the University
of Michigan at Ann Arbor Student Assembly in April. Armstrong is
believed to be the first openly gay student to hold the post.
Shirvell criticized and belittled
Armstrong at Chris Armstrong Watch, a website he runs, now
sealed off behind a password protected page.
At his blog, Shirvell accused Armstrong
of preying on impressionable freshman, of being “Satan's
representative on the student assembly,” and labeled Armstrong a
Nazi, a racist, a liar and an elitist. Shirvell also led protests
outside Armstrong's home and at the university. University officials
have banned the civil servant from its campus and Armstrong filed a
personal protection order against him.
The resolution acknowledges the
“unnecessary tragedies” that bullying can cause and calls on Cox
to investigate whether Shirvell was involved in or influenced
“pending legislation, amicus briefs, and/or all other matters
within the jurisdiction of the Office of Attorney General, including
but not limited to the issues of hate crime (bias motivated crime),
bullying, and Elliot Larsen civil rights protections.”
Armstrong
talked about the incident on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360.