Top law official disbarred over homophobic harassment campaign
Michigan’s former assistant Attorney General has been disbarred over a homophobic harassment campaign.
Andrew Shirvell had been Assistant Attorney General to Michigan Republican Mike Cox in 2010 when he published a blog targeting a gay student president at the University of Michigan.
On the anonymously-run blog, Shirvell published more than 30 articles attacking UoM student president Chris Armstrong, alleging he was a recruiter for “the cult that is homosexuality” who led a “Nazi-like” movement with a “racist, anti-Christian agenda”.
The blog featured a photo of Mr Armstrong with a swastika over his face, calling him ”Satan’s representative on the student assembly” and a “privileged pervert.”
Shirvell also claimed the student used his position of power to promote a “radical homosexual agenda” while hosting gay orgies in his dorm room.
This week he was disbarred by a panel of the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board, which ruled that he committed misconduct via harassment.
The Board dismissed Shirvell’s claim that his anti-gay blogs are protected under the First Amendment, upholding the misconduct charge.
Shivrell was sacked by the Attorney General’s office in November 2010 for “repeatedly violated office policies, engaged in borderline stalking behaviour, and [having] inappropriately used state resources”.
The law official previously filed a federal lawsuit claiming he had been wrongly terminated from his job following the incident.
