Chris Armstrong, the gay student
attacked by Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell, has
withdrawn his request for a personal protection order against
Shirvell, the Detroit Free Press reported.
A hearing on Armstrong's September
request was scheduled for Monday in the courtroom of Judge Nancy
Francis.
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.
At the website Chris Armstrong
Watch, now sealed off behind a password protected page, 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.
The case attracted nationwide attention
after Shirvell appeared on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 to defend
his right to campaign against Armstrong.
“This is a political campaign. This
is nothing personal against Chris,” Shirvell told Cooper.
“I'm a Christian citizen exercising
my First Amendment rights. I have no problem with the fact that
Chris is a homosexual. I have a problem with the fact that he's
advancing a radical homosexual agenda,” he added.
Shirvell also led protests outside
Armstrong's home and at the university. University officials
responded by banning the civil servant from its campus.
The
city of Ann Arbor and the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, the
agency tasked with enforcing the state's anti-discrimination laws,
have also condemned the attacks.
Shirvell, who is currently on a leave
of absence, is expected to face a disciplinary hearing upon his
return to work.