Shirvell even started a blog attacking the college student claiming that Armstrong, the university’s first openly gay student assembly president, who he claims sought to advance a “radical homosexual agenda” as “Satan’s representative on the student council.”
Armstrong had been largely silent on the topic until an interview on Anderson Cooper 360 last night. He said the recent tragedies involving bullying, homosexuality and university campuses motivated him to speak up.
“I think this is really just an opportunity,” Armstrong said. “I think this chance to really speak out and say something, give a message to other kids who might be facing something, obviously not as extreme, but something like being heckled in a classroom.”
Given what has happened in the past week, given the suicides that have happened in the past few weeks, it’s hard not to say something,” he added. “I didn’t really ask to be put in this position in a lot of ways, but I felt that, seeing these kids feel like they need to take their life, it’s important to understand that things that can get better, and it’s important to know that you can reach out in your community and reach out to friends and they can support you.”
Shirvell was banned from the campus on Sept. 14 by the university’s Department of Public Safety and Armstrong is in the process of obtaining a personal protection order against him. Shirvell has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his state job.
Amstrong said that in addition to starting his “hurtful” blog, Shirvell also heckled him during a speech, showed up at a late-night party at his off-campus house and called the Washington office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, where Armstrong held an internship.
