College Orders Student to Alter Religious Views on Homosexuality, Or Be Dismissed

[Magic Man]

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A graduate student in Georgia is suing her university after she was told she must undergo a remediation program due to her beliefs on homosexuality and transgendered persons.

The student, Jennifer Keeton, 24, has been pursuing a master's degree in school counseling at Augusta State University since 2009, but school
officials have informed her that she'll be dismissed from the program unless she alters her "central religious beliefs on human nature and conduct," according to a civil complaint filed last week.

"[Augusta State University] faculty have promised to expel Miss Keeton from the graduate Counselor Education Program not because of poor academic showing or demonstrated deficiencies in clinical performance
, but simply because she has communicated both inside and outside the classroom that she holds to Christian ethical convictions on matters of human sexuality and gender identity," the 43-page lawsuit reads.

Keeton, according to the lawsuit, was informed by school officials in late May that she would be asked to take part in a remediation plan due to faculty concerns regarding her beliefs pertaining to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.

"The faculty identifies Miss Keeton's views as indicative of her improper professional
disposition to persons of such populations," the lawsuit reads.

In a statement to FoxNews.com, Augusta State University officials declined to comment specifically on the litigation, but said the university does not discriminate on the basis of students' moral, religious, political or personal views or beliefs.

"The Counselor Education Program is grounded in the core principles of the American Counseling Association and the American School Counselor Association, which defines the roles and responsibilities of professional counselors in its code of ethics," the statement read. "The code is included in the curriculum of the counseling education program, which states that counselors in training have the same responsibility as professional counselors to understand and follow the ACA Code of Ethics."

The Code of Ethics prohibits counselors from discriminating based on a number of factors, including gender identity and sexual orientation. "Counselors do not discriminate against clients, students, employees
, supervisees, or research participants in a manner that has a negative impact on these persons," the code says.

Keeton's lawsuit alleges that the university's remediation plan noted Keeton's "disagreement in several class discussions and in written assignments with the gay and lesbian 'lifestyle,'" as well as Keeton's belief that those "lifestyles" are cases of identity confusion.

If Keeton fails to complete the plan, including additional reading and the writing of papers describing the impact on her beliefs, she will be expelled from the Counselor Education Program, the lawsuit claims.

Keeton has stated that she believes sexual behavior is the "result of accountable personal choice rather than an inevitability deriving from deterministic forces," according to the suit.

"She also has affirmed binary male-female gender, with one or the other being fixed in each person at their creation, and not a social construct or individual choice subject to alteration by the person so created," the lawsuit reads. "Further, she has expressed her view that homosexuality is a 'lifestyle,' not a 'state of being.'"

David French, senior counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund
, which filed the lawsuit against Augusta State University on Keeton's behalf, said no university has the right to force a citizen to change their beliefs on any topic.

"The university has told Jennifer Keeton that if she doesn't change her beliefs, she can't stay in the program," he told FoxNews.com. "She won't even have a chance to counsel any students; she won't have a chance to get a counseling degree; she'll be expelled."

Keeton, who is not available for interviews according to French, believes that people have "moral choices" regarding their sexuality, he said.

"A student has a right to express their point of view in and out of class without fear or censorship or expulsion," French said.

So, what do we think? Does the school have the right to take this action? Are they wrong for trying to expel her from the program?

 

[Smoke]

When a university awards a degree, they're saying you've met some kind of minimum standards in your field. If you're unable to meet those standards, you're not entitled to a degree, and to award you a degree is bad for the professional reputation of the university and devalues the degrees of those who are actually entitled to them.

If we allow people to have religious exemptions from meeting the requirements of their degree program, where will that end? Biology degrees with a specialty in Creation Science?

Keeton deserves to lose her case and to be ordered to pay court costs and the legal fees of the university.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

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So, what do we think? Does the school have the right to take this action? Are they wrong for trying to expel her from the program?

The ACA has an explicit code of ethics which counselors must follow. She's making it clear that she will not abide by this code of ethics, therefore she is not a viable candidate for a program which includes this code of ethics in its curriculum.

 

[LuisDantas]

The school is 100% justified in dismissing her, and is doing it for the right reasons.

The whole mistake is hers in using her religious beliefs to justify prejudice that so obviously hurts people. Or, perhaps, accepting such prejudices from unquestioned religious beliefs instead.

 

[Magic Man]

Now, the question is whether or not we'll get anyone on the student's side.

 

[Duck]

This is similar to a case recently that was won by the school. When I first read the OP I thought it was the same case.

In the just completed case, the graduate was in the active counseling stage of her program, where she worked in the University counseling office as a counselor. A student came in suffering from depression (and might have been suicidal, it was implied in the post but I didn't see it in the actual article), and because that student had previously been counseled on a relationship issue (homosexual relationship) the graduate REFUSED to work with the depressed student, simply because he was gay. Because treating him for depression would have "affirmed" his gay lifestyle or some such nonsense.

 

[Smoke]

This is similar to a case recently that was won by the school. When I first read the OP I thought it was the same case.

In the just completed case, the graduate was in the active counseling stage of her program, where she worked in the University counseling office as a counselor. A student came in suffering from depression (and might have been suicidal, it was implied in the post but I didn't see it in the actual article), and because that student had previously been counseled on a relationship issue (homosexual relationship) the graduate REFUSED to work with the depressed student, simply because he was gay. Because treating him for depression would have "affirmed" his gay lifestyle or some such nonsense.

While that's unprofessional, it does at least show the ability to recognize that she was unable to perform the job in a professional manner, which in my opinion puts her ahead of the girl at Augusta State.

 

[LuisDantas]

I may be mistaken, but I believe a counselor can choose to refuse a case as long as there is someone else available, capable and willing to deal with that person instead.

 

[Duck]

While that's unprofessional, it does at least show the ability to recognize that she was unable to perform the job in a professional manner, which in my opinion puts her ahead of the girl at Augusta State.

'Course, her response to being dismissed from the program (which required compliance with ACA ethics rules as well as APA (I think) like the Augusta program) was to sue over religious discrimination. She still hopes to be a high school counselor.

 

[Magic Man]

I may be mistaken, but I believe a counselor can choose to refuse a case as long as there is someone else available, capable and willing to deal with that person instead.

I'd be interested to hear whether that's actually true.

 

[Nerthus]

If someone is doing a counselling course they cannot display any prejudices they might have. Of course, they will still continue to hold them, but her opinions of LGBT lives should not come into it at all.

If you can't separate the two, then you have to move the person on to another counsellor.

You are there as a counsellor, not as a Christian voicing out against certain issues.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

She seems to pursuing an inappropriate Career path.

I am sure there are Christian based programs elsewhere, that would support her views. Perhaps she should transfer.

Does not say much for her choice, if she failed to read the fundamental requirements of the course.

 

[linwood]

So, what do we think? Does the school have the right to take this action? Are they wrong for trying to expel her from the program?

I think they are within their rights.

I would hope a medical school would do the same to a student who didn`t believe in anti-biotics as well.

Seems to be a fairly close analogy

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

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So, what do we think? Does the school have the right to take this action? Are they wrong for trying to expel her from the program?

I would agree with her if she was a business major or something like that.

This is a counseling program. The mental health standards are medical standerds. Its kind of like letting someone graduate from a nursing school who believes you can cure brain cancer with a hit to head with a Hammer. I am of course assuming that her views are not consistent with the APA.

 

[LuisDantas]

If someone is doing a counselling course they cannot display any prejudices they might have. Of course, they will still continue to hold them, but her opinions of LGBT lives should not come into it at all.

Is it too much to want a counselor not to have such strong prejudices to begin with?

 

[Nerthus]

Is it too much to want a counselor not to have such strong prejudices to begin with?

Well yeah, that would be good.

But, they shouldn't be disclosing personal information like that to clients anyhow, so it should never come to light. People will always have different opinions about issues people might need to talk about, but as a counsellor you are there to assist them in find solutions. Not to put your opinions on them.

 

[Magic Man]

Well yeah, that would be good.

But, they shouldn't be disclosing personal information like that to clients anyhow, so it should never come to light. People will always have different opinions about issues people might need to talk about, but as a counsellor you are there to assist them in find solutions. Not to put your opinions on them.

Agreed. It would be nice to think no one would have these ridiculous views on things like homosexuality, but the best we can hope for is that anyone with those views either stays out of counseling or social work, or at least keeps their opinions to themselves and helps their clients as well as any counselor can be expected to.

 

[Southern Lass]

A Christian counseling student should be able to express her point of view reasonably in class or through assignments, but must be able to show that she is capable of professionalism with any client. If there is something that she cannot handle or she cannot perform her counseling duties in an unbiased manner, she can refer the client. There's no reason that she shouldn't be allowed to finish unless the school feels that she is unfit to practice; they will have to prove this is the case legally. I look forward to finding out how this turns out.

 

[ChristineES]

You really can't force a person to accept what she does not want to. They SHOULD NOT throw her out.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

You really can't force a person to accept what she does not want to. They SHOULD NOT throw her out.

What she doesn't want to accept is something necessary to meet the code of ethics of her program. If she wasn't willing to follow the code of ethics required for the curriculum, she shouldn't have entered the program.