WASHINGTON — The chief diversity officer at Gallaudet University has been placed on paid leave after she signed a petition to put a gay marriage referendum on the ballot in Maryland.

Gallaudet President T. Alan Hurwitz announced Angela McCaskill’s leave in a statement Wednesday.

Hurwitz says McCaskill “participated in a legislative initiative that some feel is inappropriate” for someone in her position.

Gallaudet is the nation’s leading university for the deaf and hard of hearing.

McCaskill lives in Maryland, where voters will decide in November whether to approve a state law legalizing gay marriage. The referendum was placed on the ballot by opponents of same-sex unions.

McCaskill’s signature on the petition was disclosed in July by the Washington Blade. She did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

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