Gallaudet has suspended its chief diversity officer for signing a petition against a gay marriage proposition that's on the ballet in Maryland (Question 6). Both sides of the issue have come out against President Hurwitz's decision to punish Angela McCaskill. They say what she does in her private life should not be held against her - even if it appears to be at odds with her official duties for the university. Someone teaching for the university discovered her name on the petition - signed by some 200,000 people - and then complained to Hurwitz. McCaskill is the first deaf African-American female to earn a doctorate from Gallaudet. Some on campus say the situation is pitting the LGBT community against the Black community on the DC campus.
Here is a summary of Question 6:
Civil Marriage Protection ActEstablishes that Maryland’s civil marriage laws allow gay and
lesbian couples to obtain a civil marriage license, provided they are
not otherwise prohibited from marrying; protects clergy from having to
perform any particular marriage ceremony in violation of their religious
beliefs; affirms that each religious faith has exclusive control over
its own theological doctrine regarding who may marry within that faith;
and provides that religious organizations and certain related entities
are not required to provide goods, services, or benefits to an
individual related to the celebration or promotion of marriage in
violation of their religious beliefs.