Anti-Gay Counseling Student Sues Ga. University for ’Discrimination’
A student pursuing a degree in counseling says that she is the victim of anti-Christian discrimination by a Georgia state university for being told that her beliefs about homosexuality are "unethical and incompatible with the prevailing views of the counseling profession" and directed to attend "diversity sensitivity training."
The student, Jennifer Keeton, 24, views homosexuality as a choice made by gay individuals, rather than as an innate characteristic. As a Christian, she also views physical intimacy between consenting adults of the same gender as sinful. Still, Keeton contends, her views would not impinge her ability to approach gays as a professional counselor. Christian legal organization the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has brought suit against Augusta State University on Keeton’s behalf, reported Spero News on July 28, depicting the case as an example of a Christian being subjected to intolerant "leftist" oppression.
The mental health profession has long rejected the pathologization on gays and lesbians, and even some churches that are otherwise stalwartly anti-gay--such as the Catholic Church, which actively seeks to obstruct and roll back rights and protections for GLBT individuals and families--acknowledge that the scientific evidence is highly suggestive of homosexuality being an innate trait that is neither "chosen" nor, for the most part, "changeable."
But many conservative Protestant religious traditions view homosexuality as both chosen and changeable. So-called "ex-gay" organizations dedicated to "curing" gays through "reparative therapy" are closely affiliated with religious organizations, and often promise that a combination of prayer and therapy can "convert" gays into heterosexuals.
But sparks can fly where those beliefs come into conflict with accepted standards for mental health professionals.
"A public university student shouldn’t be threatened with expulsion for being a Christian and refusing to publicly renounce her faith, but that’s exactly what’s happening here," declared David French, a lawyer with ADF. "Simply put, the university is imposing thought reform," added French.
"Abandoning one’s own religious beliefs should not be a precondition at a public university for obtaining a degree," French continued. "This type of leftist zero-tolerance policy is in place at far too many universities, and it must stop." Added French, " Jennifer’s only crime was to have the beliefs that she does."
Spero News referred to the university’s requirements as a "re-education plan," and said that "Keeton never denigrated anyone in communicating her beliefs but merely stated factually what they were in appropriate contexts." The article said that Keeton is required to provide reports on how her thoughts and beliefs are being reshaped by her "remediation" work. If the university does not think she is making suitable progress, the article said, Keeton will not be allowed to continue working toward her master’s degree in counseling at the university.
Augusta State University denies that it discriminates against students based on religious beliefs, Spero News noted. "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," a statement from the university said. "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."
Spero News quoted form the ACA Code of Ethics, which states that "Counselors do not discriminate against clients, students, employees, supervisees, or research participants in a manner that has a negative impact on these persons" on the basis of sexuality, gender identity, and other factors.
The case invites heated debate, as well as critical analysis, from pundits. A July 27 posting at South Dakota Politics reads, "I gather that Ms. Keaton [sic] believes that ’male and female’ are not social constructs but are fixed by nature. She believes that homosexuality is not "a state of being" but a lifestyle choice. I happen to agree with her about the one but not the other."
Adds the posting, "Should a person who believes that homosexuality is wrong be allowed to be a counselor, when some of her clients may be homosexual? That is not an unreasonable question." The posting then compared the case to a theoretical situation in which "a Palestinian immigrant who believes that Israel is an abomination" might raise the question of whether the Palestinian "be allowed to be a counselor when some of her clients may be Israeli immigrants or Jews sympathetic to Israel," before arriving at the conclusion that, "The only way to deal with this problem without infringing on the most basic freedoms is to focus solely on professional conduct."
However, "It looks like she is being corrected because she refuses to sign on to the party line," the posting said. "That is something else."
Next: Keeton Quiet, University Nearly Silent
