And yet, at a university that is home to a prominent contingent of gay and lesbian students who feel embraced by their peers, professors and administrators, there’s genuine concern that McCaskill has alienated a large portion of the student body and may not be the best person for the job.

On Thursday, the mere mention of her name on the school’s stately Northeast Washington campus was enough to set off a spirited debate between two fraternity brothers, who signed passionately as their friends cast glances back and forth.

“What she did is unacceptable. It hurts the gay community,” 18-year-old sophomore Andrew Duncan, who is straight, said through an American Sign Language interpreter. “It’s a very open-minded college, and we need to welcome everybody.”

Duncan said Gallaudet is a haven for all deaf people, regardless of their sexual orientation.

“It’s a small community. We welcome those who are part of us. If we’re already small and we reject somebody, then we’re just going to get smaller,” he said. “We experience oppression already. Coming to Gallaudet is like an escape from that oppression.”

Although Gallaudet does not track how many of its 1,600 students identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, students said Gallaudet is a friendly place for LGBT people. Many of the gay students come out while at Gallaudet, said Amanda Biskupiak, 24, a theater major who is a lesbian.

“I feel very accepted. I feel very open, confident on the campus,” Biskupiak said through an interpreter. “Here, holding hands with a girl is perfectly OK.”

Some believe that because their deafness already sets them apart, it’s easier for gay deaf people to be open about their sexuality.

“I have several gay professors that are out, that have been out. I know tons of students who are out, and it’s no big deal,” said Joel Colon, a hearing Gallaudet student who is gay. “Because the deaf community is just a naturally open community, because they are a minority themselves … they don’t have as many barriers to expressing their sexuality as the majority of hearing people, I would say.”

McCaskill has said she is not anti-gay, although she declined to reveal how she would vote when Maryland’s gay-marriage law goes before voters next month. McCaskill, who is black, signed the petition at her church after listening to a sermon about marriage. African-American churches have been a focal point of the effort to repeal gay marriage in Maryland, although there are also black ministers who support the law.

Gov. Martin O’Malley signed gay marriage into law in March, but it was put on hold in part because a referendum was anticipated. The vote is expected to be close, and Maryland is one of four Democratic-leaning states where voters will decide on Nov. 6 whether same-sex marriage should be legal.