Gallaudet Official's Lawyer Speaks About Petition

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- An attorney for Gallaudet University's chief diversity officer who has been placed on leave for signing a petition to put Maryland's same-sex marriage law on the ballot says she only signed it so the issue could be decided by the democratic process.

J. Wyndal Gordan, an attorney for Angela McCaskill, said Monday that McCaskill is not "anti-gay," and he notes that she has not expressed her personal view on the matter. He says she will do that in the voting booth.

McCaskill is scheduled to speak in Annapolis on Tuesday.

Gallaudet is the nation's leading university for the deaf and the hard of hearing. McCaskill, who lives in Upper Marlboro, was placed on leave last week. Gordon says he is exploring legal options to get her reinstated.

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