PROGRESSIVE HERESY HUNT

Bt all accounts Dr Angela McCaskill is a remarkable lady. The first deaf Afro-American woman to gain a PhD from Gallaudet University, Washington DC, she has now worked at the university for the last 23 years.

Dr Angela McCaskill

Gaulladet claims that it is a “world leader in liberal education and career development for deaf and hard of hearing students.” It also boasts that it “enjoys an international reputation for its outstanding programs and for the quality of the research it conducts on the history, language, culture, and other topics related to deaf people.”

Diversity, especially in education, has been at the forefront of Dr McCaskill’s professional work, it would be no exaggeration to say that she believes passionately in diversity. This comes as no surprise when one considers the obstacles she has had to overcome in her own working life as a deaf black woman.

Throughout her professional career Dr McCaskill has served with an unimpeachable record as a leader, teacher and administrator in education. The university in recognising her ability promoted her to be Deputy to the President and Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion at Gallaudet University.

It comes as a surprise to learn that her university has placed Dr McCaskill on immediate paid administrative leave. Her no doubt serious fault? She signed a Maryland referendum petition concerning same sex marriage.

President T Allan Hurwitz, on behalf of the university, issued a statement: “I want to inform the community that I have placed Dr. Angela McCaskill on paid administrative leave effective immediately. It recently came to my attention that Dr. McCaskill has participated in a legislative initiative that some feel is inappropriate for an individual serving as Chief Diversity Officer.”

Dr McCaskill explained that she had signed the petition while at church, after her minister had preached against gay marriage. As she was leaving, her husband pointed to the petition and she signed it.

Inevitably the homosexual lobby has stridently asked for Dr McCaskill to be reassigned or fired. On Twitter, gay deaf activist Jasun Hicks wrote, “Shame on you, Dr. Angela McCaskill!” Carey Ballard tweeted, “She got 2 faces!”

Dr McCaskill has not denied homosexuals entrance to the university.

She has not placed obstacles in the way of homosexuals being promoted within the university.

She has not stood in front of a class and taught that homosexual activity is a sin.

She has not taken one single action which would contradict her assertion that she is fully committed to diversity within the university community.

Writing of her work as Diversity Officer Dr McCaskill said: “I want the world to know that Gallaudet is very committed to diversity and has made considerable strides towards building a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable community that works!”

What Dr McCaskill has done, and which President Hurwitz considers worthy of being suspended on administrative leave, and which may yet lead to her dismissal, is that she has signed a legitimate petition asking for a referendum aimed at maintaining the current law of her state. The petition asks that something as important as same sex marriage should be decided by the people as a whole. It’s something which we call democracy.

What Dr McCaskill is learning is that Progressives believe in the democratic process only as long as you maintain Progressive orthodoxy. By their actions the university demonstrates that it believes that an employer has the right to restrict the participation of its employees in the legitimate democratic process.

I used to think that Evangelical Christians were ludicrous with our seemingly insatiable appetite for heresy hunting and our willingness to anathematise any who did not sign up 100% with our position. We have a long way to go before we become as vicious and destructive as Progressives.