General Discussion

progressoid

(49,992 posts) Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:09 PM Oct 2012

University's diversity chief put on leave after signing anti-gay marriage petition

University's diversity chief put on leave after signing anti-gay marriage petition

The chief diversity officer at Gallaudet University was put on administrative leave Wednesday after the school learned she had signed a petition supporting efforts to reverse Maryland’s same-sex marriage law, media reports say.

Dr. Angela McCaskill signed the petition at her church after her preacher spoke against gay marriage, the Planet DeafQueer blog ( http://planet.deafqueer.com/gallaudets-chief-diversity-officer-signs-anti-gay-petition/ ) reported on Monday, citing a Gallaudet faculty member who first spotted the administrator’s name on the document. Voters in Maryland will decide on Nov. 6 whether to keep a state law passed earlier this year approving same-sex marriage.

...

McCaskill was the first deaf African American female to earn a Ph.D. from Gallaudet, where she has worked for 23 years in various roles, including becoming the deputy to the president and associate provost of diversity and inclusion in 2011, according to her biography on the university website. She did not respond to an email seeking comment and it was not possible to leave a phone message.

Late Wednesday, the campaign seeking to keep the same-sex marriage law urged the university to reinstate McCaskill.

"We strongly disagree with the decision to put the chief diversity officer on leave and hope she is reinstated immediately," Josh Levin, campaign manager of Marylanders for Marriage Equality, said in a statement. "Everyone is entitled to free speech and to their own opinion about Question 6 (the referendum on the ballot), which is about treating everyone fairly and equally under the law."

...

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/10/14348322-universitys-diversity-chief-put-on-leave-after-signing-anti-gay-marriage-petition?lite

20 replies

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University's diversity chief put on leave after signing anti-gay marriage petition (Original Post) progressoid Oct 2012 OP

Diversity chief, WTF. People like her need to be relegated to the garbage can. n/t RKP5637 Oct 2012 #1

A diversity chief who lets her pastor think for her at that. Initech Oct 2012 #8

Religion, the greatest divider ever invented by mankind. n/t RKP5637 Oct 2012 #10

Am I reading that right? Iggo Oct 2012 #2

Yeah, I had to read that twice too. progressoid Oct 2012 #4

Hair splitting to the nth degree . . . enlightenment Oct 2012 #3

"she opposes same-sex marriage - but why?" progressoid Oct 2012 #6

Smart people should know better than to enlightenment Oct 2012 #17

Yep. progressoid Oct 2012 #20

She's sorry she signed the petition. She only signed it because her husband pointed to it. KamaAina Oct 2012 #5

Yeah, post guilt, now thinking, oops, what about my job. POS as a diversity chief, RKP5637 Oct 2012 #11

WTF? Savannahmann Oct 2012 #7

This is a problem in Maryland LibertyLover Oct 2012 #9

Maybe they would like it if we went back to the 50's then, blacks were treated RKP5637 Oct 2012 #13

Well, as Annthrax Coulter so eloquently reminded us, civil rights are for blacks. KamaAina Oct 2012 #15

Yep, there are all types of bigots and racists, not limited to any color, size or sex. n/t RKP5637 Oct 2012 #18

Maybe she mis-heard? randome Oct 2012 #12

Was that a joke? KamaAina Oct 2012 #16

I went to school near Gallaudet, and there were many gay people at Gallaudet, so, RKP5637 Oct 2012 #19

oooops... busted fascisthunter Oct 2012 #14

RKP5637

(67,112 posts)

1. Diversity chief, WTF. People like her need to be relegated to the garbage can. n/t

Reply to progressoid (Original post)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:16 PM

Oct 2012

Initech

(100,088 posts)

8. A diversity chief who lets her pastor think for her at that.

Reply to RKP5637 (Reply #1)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:46 PM

Oct 2012

RKP5637

(67,112 posts)

10. Religion, the greatest divider ever invented by mankind. n/t

Reply to Initech (Reply #8)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 04:01 PM

Oct 2012

Iggo

(47,561 posts)

2. Am I reading that right?

Reply to progressoid (Original post)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:16 PM

Oct 2012

She signed a petition to try to overturn the law approving same-sex marriage, and the people who want to keep the law are asking that she be reinstated?

Good goddamotty, we ARE better than they are!

progressoid

(49,992 posts)

4. Yeah, I had to read that twice too.

Reply to Iggo (Reply #2)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:24 PM

Oct 2012

enlightenment

(8,830 posts)

3. Hair splitting to the nth degree . . .

Reply to progressoid (Original post)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:23 PM

Oct 2012

Teddi Fishman, director of the International Center for Academic Integrity at Clemson University, said she would “stop short of saying that this case necessarily involves a lack of integrity.”

“If a person is responsible for ensuring equal opportunities for students regardless of their gender or sexual orientation and that person goes on record as being opposed to equal opportunities for people based on their gender and sexual orientation, it certainly appears that there is some incongruity,” she wrote NBC News in an email.

However, she noted that people also have the right to participate in the democratic process regardless of their work obligations unless they have agreed otherwise or are legally prohibited from doing so. The issue of marriage equality is not the same as the task of ensuring equality in academic settings and some could argue there were reasons -- not based on discrimination -- for opposing gay marriage, she added.

“I would feel comfortable saying, however, that if I were supervising Dr. McCaskill, I would want to talk with her to make sure that her commitment to equal opportunity to all students does indeed extend to them all and to monitor the situation more carefully than I might have done had she not signed the anti-marriage petition,” she said.

Yes, it is fair to speak to Dr. McCaskill and ask her why she signed the petition. Presumably, she opposes same-sex marriage - but why? I find it hard to imagine that it is for some reason that is unrelated to the "same-sex" part of the equation, which would suggest that she has issues with allowing full equality for all people - and that is discriminatory. Being opposed because of religious beliefs does not give her a pass.

If she believes that some kinds of discrimination are acceptable, she does not belong in the position. It is always nice to think that individuals are capable of setting aside that kind of personal belief - a belief strong enough that this individual was willing to sign a petition to prevent the thing she does not agree with from happening - but it is pretty pie-in-the-sky wishfulness.

She can avow her ability to separate her personal feelings from her professional responsibilities to the moon . . . heck, she may be able to actually do it - but she will never again have the trust of the students at Gallaudet and that mistrust will trickle down to the entire Diversity department at the school, whether they deserve it or not.

progressoid

(49,992 posts)

6. "she opposes same-sex marriage - but why?"

Reply to enlightenment (Reply #3)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:36 PM

Oct 2012

Gallaudet faculty member, who at this time wishes to remain anonymous, noticed Dr. McCaskill’s name, address and signature on the anti-gay marriage petition and inquired about it. When confronted by the faculty member, Dr. McCaskill confirmed that she had in fact signed the petition and explained that she had done so while at church, after her preacher had preached against gay marriage. As she was leaving, her husband pointed to the petition and she signed it without giving it further thought.

http://planet.deafqueer.com/gallaudets-chief-diversity-officer-signs-anti-gay-petition/

enlightenment

(8,830 posts)

17. Smart people should know better than to

Reply to progressoid (Reply #6)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 04:50 PM

Oct 2012

sign things without thinking about it.

I'm sure she regrets all this - but the question is, does she regret signing or regret getting caught? Regardless of her motives, she has damaged her credibility as a diversity officer, and that she may never get back.

LGBT students, faculty and staff we spoke to said they felt shock, disappointment, anger and betrayal upon learning of the signed petition. Some are calling for Dr. McCaskill’s resignation. Others are waiting for an official response from Dr. McCaskill and wondering if it will be possible for her to regain their trust.

progressoid

(49,992 posts)

20. Yep.

Reply to enlightenment (Reply #17)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 06:18 PM

Oct 2012

I'd bet she mostly regrets getting caught.

KamaAina

(78,249 posts)

5. She's sorry she signed the petition. She only signed it because her husband pointed to it.

Reply to progressoid (Original post)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:27 PM

Oct 2012

Sorry she got caught.

RKP5637

(67,112 posts)

11. Yeah, post guilt, now thinking, oops, what about my job. POS as a diversity chief,

Reply to KamaAina (Reply #5)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 04:04 PM

Oct 2012

what a cruel joke on the student body. ... too many other qualified people. Now I wonder what she was thinking before this came out, how many got screwed by her.

Savannahmann

(3,891 posts)

7. WTF?

Reply to progressoid (Original post)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:37 PM

Oct 2012

Somebody should her for being a hypocrite.

LibertyLover

(4,788 posts)

9. This is a problem in Maryland

Reply to progressoid (Original post)

Fri Oct 12, 2012, 03:57 PM

Oct 2012

I live in Maryland and of course am voting for Question 6 on Election Day. A few African American ministers have come out in favor of marriage equality, but many more are actively opposing it. I've heard African American ministers interviewed on the topic and they react very negatively when the issue is posed as a struggle for civil rights. More than one of these men of the cloth has quickly and vehemently dismissed any suggestion that marriage equality is any type of civil right. In fact the first time a marriage equality law was proposed, back in 2010, one of its sponsors, a delegate from Prince George's County and an African American herself, actually voted against the very law she had sponsored because she was afraid how her constituents had reacted to the news of her sponsorship. She was afraid of loosing her seat over the issue. Many of the mega-churches in Maryland, both white and black, are working against marriage equality. When I heard this story initially in was on radio so I was unaware of Dr. McCaskill's ethnicity and only thought it odd that someone working as a diversity officer would have been against marriage equality. I was even more bemused when later in the day I saw a photo of her accompanying a print article on the story. But after reading that she signed the petition in her church I understood what had happened.