Mich. Attorney General Finally Takes Steps in Case of Asst. Cyber-Stalking Gay College Boy

After months of online conduct that some see as cyber-stalking and others characterize as a form of anti-gay bullying, an assistant attorney general in Michigan faces disciplinary action.

Michigan assistant AG Andrew Shirvell has carried on a half-year-long campaign against Chris Armstrong, the openly gay student assembly president of the University of Michigan. Among other actions targeting Armstrong, Andrew Shirvell has posted images of Armstrong at a blog called Chris Armstrong Watch and made a number of claims against the young man, including accusations that Armstrong has seduced fellow students in order to coax them into a "homosexual lifestyle," and that an orgy took place in Armstrong's dorm room.

The blog also called Armstrong a "privileged pervert," and accused him of "sexual escapades at churches and children's playgrounds," as well as referring to Armstrong as a "Nazi-like recruiter for the cult that is homosexuality," and accusing the young man of being "racist and elitist to the core." Shirvell's blog is maintained under the name "Concerned Michigan Alumnus," and Shirvell maintains that he is an alumnus of the school. After he appeared at several student government assemblies, the school banned Shirvell from campus.

Attorney General Mike Cox has defended Shirvell's right to post what he wants to on his own time, saying that it's a matter of free speech but also denouncing Shirvell for his "immaturity and lack of judgment." However, an episode in which Shirvell stood outside Armstrong's home taking footage with a video camera raised serious doubts even to Cox, who told the Associated Press in an Oct. 1 article that, "Part of the video [shows] this young man's house at 1:30 on a Sunday morning. Clearly, I wouldn't recommend that to any state employee to be doing. That being said," Cox continued, "it's not something where I can walk in one day and say, 'I don't like what he has on there, let's broom him.' He has First Amendment protections."

But in the wake of media attention on what Anderson Cooper characterized as Shirvell's "obsession" with Armstrong, Shirvell has taken personal leave from his job and a spokesperson for Cox has told the media that Shirvell faces the prospect of disciplinary proceedings upon his return, reported the Detroit News on Oct. 1.

"I'm at fault here," Cox said. "I've been saying for weeks that (Shirvell's) been acting like a bully, that his behavior is immature, but it's after-hours and protected by the First Amendment." However, Cox also addressed comments made by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who had tweeted that if Shirvell were working directly for her, his conduct would have gotten him fired.

"She went to Harvard Law School," Cox told the media. "The civil service rules are a huge shield for free speech, and she knows that."

However, others, including the state's department of civil service spokesperson Matt Fedorchuk, have noted that state employees can be fired for "just cause," with "conduct unbecoming a state employee" being considered adequate grounds.

Moreover, given the tenor of his postings against Armstrong--such as the college student being "Satan's representative on the student assembly"--there is some question as to whether Shirvell discredits the attorney general's office. "My real concern is whether as an attorney for the Michigan Attorney General's Office, he can competently represent gay people in our state," said the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law's Larry Dubin. "Perhaps that raises a legitimate question as to his competency to hold this job, rather than examining his right to speak his brand of hate."

Shirvell went on leave Oct. 1, reported the Wall Street Journal that same day. The Wall Street Journal also reported that while Chris Armstrong Watch is still online, Shirvell has now protected it with a password.

The Detroit News said that Armstrong was trying to secure a "personal protection order" against Shirvell.

In his Sept. 28 interview with Shirvell, Anderson Cooper asked the assistant attorney general about his apparent "obsession" with Armstrong. Shirvell responded that previous to his blog, anti-gay Christian organization the Alliance defense Fund had issued an "alert" about the young man.

A May 2 posting at Chris Armstrong Watch made the same claim, reading, "The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)--a nationally respected legal foundation dedicated to defending religious freedom--has put out an ALERT about Chris Armstrong, the MILITANT HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVIST who has recently become the new student body president at the University of Michigan.

"The ADF's warning shows that Armstrong's radical agenda for the Michigan Student Assembly represents a very serious threat to the religious liberties of Michigan students, and in particular Christians," the blog posting continued.

"The substance of the matter is, Anderson, 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 at the University of Michigan," Shirvell told Cooper.

A Sept. 29 Gay Politics posting said that Armstrong had interned with the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, an organization that provides campaign money for GLBT politicians in races around the country. The assertion that the Fund had provided money to Armstrong to win the post of president of the student assembly at the university, Gay Politics reported, "is false. While interning at Victory, Armstrong attended the organization's Candidate and Campaign Training, which he has credited with helping him learn how to build a campaign, but the Victory Fund does not endorse or fund student government campaigns."

Cooper contested the claim that Armstrong had attempted to advance any "radical agenda" at the university. Shirvell claimed that Armstrong's "biggest issue is gender-neutral housing. What we're talking about is anybody, any man or woman, wanting to choose to live together. That's a radical redefinition of gender norms."

News sources indicate that Armstrong had voiced support for gender-neutral housing. A July 18 op-ed at University of Michigan student publication the Michigan Daily read, "Shirvell suggests that Armstrong's support of gender-neutral housing will 'endanger female students, as it will also force heterosexuals of different genders to share the same room and will undoubtedly lead to a massive increase in rapes.'

"But that argument doesn't make a whole lot of sense," the op-ed continued, "because a gender-neutral housing option--which hasn't even become official University policy yet--will undoubtedly be one that is opt-in only."

"It appears, though, that you are obsessed with this young gay man," Cooper told Shirvell, before going on to cite the state of Michigan's criminal code regarding cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying. Cooper asked Shirvell whether he fit the description of a cyber-bully, given the accusations he had posted online against Armstrong.

"No, I'm totally not--and that's a totally mischaracterization," Shirvell responded.

"Do you consider yourself a bigot?" Cooper asked.

"Absolutely not," Shirvell replied. "I'm a Christian citizen exercising my First Amendment rights. I have no problem with the fact that Chris is a homosexual," added Shirvell. "I have a problem with the fact that he is advancing a very radical agenda."

"It seems like you hate this guy because he's gay," Cooper said.

"Well, Anderson, that's your spin on it," Shirvell replied. "The real bigot here is Chris Armstrong." Shirvell went on to add, "He's a political figure, Anderson." Shirvell cited his having graduated from the University of Michigan as a primary reason for his "protests" of Armstrong, telling Cooper, "I have a right as an alum and as a private citizen to criticize him in my after-hours work."

Throughout the half-year of attacks that the blog has aimed at him, Armstrong has refused to fire back. But on Sept. 27, at a meeting of the student assembly, Armstrong said, "I will not back down. I will not flinch. I will not falter. I will not succumb to any unwarranted attacks," reported the Michigan Daily on Sept. 28.

"What I will do is I will carry on with the utmost pride and vindication," Armstrong continued. "I, along with the rest of this assembly, were elected to this body to represent the University. And nothing said about us, or regarding our personal merits, will waive our commitment to serve the student body."

The article reported that Shirvell had attended the first meeting of the student assembly for the fall semester, calling for Armstrong to step down because of his membership in a student group called the Order of Angell, which previously was known as Michiguama. The student society had drawn criticism in the past for including American Indian artifacts in its gatherings, a practice that the group discontinued. Cooper noted that former president Gerald Ford had been a member of the society.

The Michigan Daily also reported in a Sept. 29 story that the Spectrum Center, a university-run LGBT resource, had send a message of support for Armstrong. The student assembly president had also won expressions of support from the University Board of Regents, the article said, as well as from the Office of the Dean of Students.