Virginia Sen. Creigh Deeds and allies of the Democratic gubernatorial candidate launched a broadside Monday against opponent Bob McDonnell’s 1989 master’s thesis, in which the Republican criticized working women and suggested governments should back married couples over gays and “fornicators.”

The assault further steers the conversation of Virginia’s governor’s race into social issues, piling on top of Deeds’ already high-profile assault on McDonnell’s anti-abortion stance.