Brody's Notes... University Of Michigan Gay Junior Becomes Student Body President

Chris Armstrong (Centre) Celebrates Election As Student Body President Of The University Of Michigan

Photo By Samantha Trauben The Michigan Daily

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 30 | The Michigan Daily, the campus newspaper of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, reported last week that University of Michigan junior Chris Armstrong, who is majoring in sociology, was elected as the incoming Michigan Student Assembly president. Armstrong and his running mate,  Business School junior Jason Raymond, won by more than 1,000 votes in an election with a student voter turnout of 14 percent, the highest it’s been in years.  According to Daily Staff Writer Elyana Twiggs; 

Throughout the campaign Armstrong promised to establish a more unified student government where students can see direct results yielded through representative’s passion and advocacy. His opposition Ian Margolis's platform was focused on achieving what Margolis called “tangibles” for students by offering events like pep rallies or concerts. Armstrong who is openly Gay also had pledged to support gay rights on campus; he previously helped bring the 2011 Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Ally College Conference to the University of Michigan. Armstrong was an intern at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund in Washington, D.C. during the summer of 2009.

Twiggs also reports that after hearing the results, Armstrong’s satisfaction could be heard in a jittery phone interview;

“I am overwhelmingly astonished,” Armstrong said. “I am so humbled by the fact that the student body voted for us. It’s really hard for me to put into words how incredibly elated I feel. The significance of this event really demonstrates the diversity of this University," Armstrong said. "The ability of this campus to elect an openly gay president to lead them is something that students should be proud of, and the LGBT community should be proud of."