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."

They Said / She Said... or Actually, They Didn't Say

While the ADF has been aggressively vocal in its defense of Keeton, the university has largely been silent, aside from its recent statement denying any discrimination against Keeton.

But according to the ADF, Keeton herself was quiet about her views. The suit notes that Keeton has not sought to impose her personal religious views on anyone, reported Christian publication World. The suit asserts that, "Miss Keeton has never stated in class, or to fellow students outside of class, that her Christian ethical views entail that she does not affirm the inherent dignity of or care for other persons because of their views or behavior related to gender or sexual conduct," reported World. "Indeed, Miss Keeton's biblical convictions are entirely to the contrary, for these establish the dignity of and respect owing to all persons due to their ontological status as created in the image of God."

World also reported that the same Christian legal organization that represents Keeton had also brought suit against Eastern Michigan University for a similar case in which a student in that school's counseling program was purportedly booted for her religious views on gays. That suit ended in a summary dismissal, however, reported The Chronicle of Higher Education on July 27.

Federal judge George Caram Steeh dismissed the case on July 26, saying that Julea Ward, the student in the Easter Michigan University case, had not had her Constitutional rights infringed. The judge also opined that the university "had a right and duty" to insist that students in its counseling program would conduct themselves in accordance with the profession's ethical standards. The ADH has said that it will appeal.

Ms. Ward told an academic hearing at the university that she would not condone any conduct that would "go... against what the Bible says," but she also offered assurances that she would honor the professional and ethical standards expected by the American Counseling Association. Nonetheless, she was expelled from the program. The judge's ruling similarly focused on issues of conduct, noting that Ward had "stated that she would not engage in gay-affirming counseling, which she viewed as helping a homosexual client engage in an immoral lifestyle."

The ruling said that Ward's "refusal to attempt learning to counsel all clients within their own value systems is a failure to complete an academic requirement of the program."

In Keeton's case, right-wing pundits have seized on the opportunity to denounce "liberals." Right-wing site Moonbattery characterized the case as an example of "Educrats Demand[ing] That Student Renounce Christianity, Endorse Depravity," and went on to declaim, "It isn't an accident that nearly everyone in the education establishment subscribes to the same degenerate ideology. Those who don't are faced with a stark choice - convert to moonbattery or be crushed by the system."

Less ideological individuals chose to have some fun with the case: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a betting site, YouWager.com, was accepting bets on subjects such as whether Keeton would "abandon her Christian beliefs to get a diploma" from the school's counseling program.

Local newspaper the Augusta Chronicle envisioned common ground between the two sides in the case in a July 24 op-ed, noting that Keeton "believes that homosexuality is immoral and a chosen lifestyle. She also thinks that her beliefs wouldn't interfere with her providing competent counseling to gays."

However, "It's important for a medical professional to understand--and most do--that even his or her strongest religious beliefs are in no way compromised by tending to patients of other faiths or no faith at all," the op-ed added.

The Chronicle's op-ed determined that, "Neither party should be proselytizing: ASU should not be attempting to force acceptance of homosexuality on her--rather, it should guide her toward providing help to all who need it."