Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Student threatened with expulsion because of religious beliefs about homosexuality


ABC News

A Georgia student studying counseling says her university went too far in requiring her to change her Christian beliefs on homosexuality before she's allowed to graduate.

Backed by the Alliance Defense Fund, Jennifer Keeton has filed suit against Augusta State University after, she said, school officials threatened to dismiss her from its counseling program when she refused to participate in a "remediation" plan to increase her tolerance of gays and lesbians after she made it known that she believed homosexuality was a personal choice.

According to the lawsuit, filed earlier this month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, school officials told Keeton that she was failing to conform to professional standards because of her views on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.[...]

1 comment:

  1. FTA:

    "'Faculty have also received unsolicited reports from another student that [Miss Keeton] has relayed her interest in conversion therapy for GLBTQ populations,' the lawsuit's quotation of the plan continued, "and she has tried to convince other students to support and believe her views.

    "The remediation plan, according to court documents, included attending three workshops on diversity, a monthly two-page reflection on what she has learned from research into LGBT counseling issues, and increased exposure to gay populations. The latter action came with the suggestion that she attend Augusta's gay pride parade.

    ...

    "According to the lawsuit, which included several e-mails between Keeton and faculty, school officials said that they weren't trying to change her views or religious beliefs, but that it was "unethical" for her to apply her own personal viewpoints to other people "and not truly accepting that others can have different beliefs and values that are equally valid as your own."

    [end quote]

    Bottom line sounds like, "if you want to be a counselor in our world, you might believe X, but you'd better be impartial toward your clients even when their practices go against your beliefs." Keep your private self to yourself, I'm guessing that's one of the "prime directives" of that profession. What if she'd said she wants to encourage conversion options for Jewish clients?

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