Another Anti-Gay Student Loses Lawsuit

A counseling student, Jennifer Keeton, claimed that because she is a Christian she should not have to learn how to counsel gay and lesbian clients. The university that insisted that she needed to comply with the ethics code of the American Counseling Association in order to graduate, and she sued them.

She lost.

The Augusta Chronicle:

Augusta State University's requirement that a graduate student read material about counseling gays and increase her exposure to that community after she objected to counseling homosexual clients was "academically legitimate," a federal court judge ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge Randal Hall's decision enables university officials to expel Jennifer Keeton if she does not follow the remediation plan, which professors designed to "address issues of multicultural competence and develop understanding and empathy."

Hall said the case is not about "pitting Christianity against homosexuality," but rather the constitutionality of the school's requirement.

Professors asked Keeton to complete the remediation plan after she said she opposed homosexuality and would tell gay clients "their behavior is morally wrong and then help the client change that behavior," according to an affidavit filed in the case.

Keeton filed a lawsuit against the school in July, alleging the requirement was viewpoint discrimination and a violation of her First Amendment rights. Judge rejects Keeton lawsuit

It is important for universities to stand up to these challenges. Where there are differences between religious and scientific beliefs on a topic, the university -- at least the secular university -- should side with science.

We talked about a similar case a few weeks ago. Same thing, courts ruled with the school.

The best discussion of this situation I have seen was on the Equality Loudon blog, where blogger David put text from the comments into his post. His commenter had written:

Counseling is an applied domain within psychology. I don’t know the specifics of the Augusta program, but a Masters level program would typically include some sort of supervised practicum in addition to coursework. The student would be required to demonstrate competency in the actual practice of counseling before they are granted credentials which would allow them to present themselves to employers and the public as having a certain level of knowledge and training. Anyone can hang out a shingle and call themselves a “counselor” with no training or education at all. A particular degree or license is understood to be a guarantee - the responsibility of the program granting the degree - that the individual has certain skills and competencies. To grant credentials to someone who has failed to demonstrate the required competencies would be a breach of that responsibility. Ms. Keeton, in the judgement of her professors, has failed to demonstrate the required competency in counseling a segment of the student population she is sure to encounter professionally. Therefore, allowing her to have contact with these children in the role of a counselor would be endangerment.

Imagine if a child coming to terms with an intersex condition were sent to her. Ms. Keeton simply believes (she says) that people “were created male and female,” end of story, all she needs to know about the subject. She dismisses all of the medical knowledge concerning neurological development and gender identity in favor of her belief. She is, in other words, actively denying reality - but you seem to think she should be in a position in which she is assumed to have knowledge about this area of life, but in which she would likely tell this vulnerable child something that is completely false and harmful. Tolerance for child endangerment? No.

The university needs to enforce its standards. The cost to American society if the courts let these religious challenges succeed is immeasurable.