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School Wants Student to Alter Religious View on Gays

...or be expelled, says Jennifer Keeton's lawsuit

By Kate Schwartz,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 27, 2010 12:02 PM CDT
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(Newser) – A graduate student says Augusta State University in Georgia has threatened to expel her unless she attends a remediation program designed to change her beliefs about homosexuality—and now she's suing. In her complaint, Jennifer Keeton, 24, says school officials informed her in May that she would be booted from her master's program in school counseling unless she completes the remediation program and alters her "central religious beliefs on human nature and conduct."

The suit says the remediation plan—which requires her to do additional reading and write papers—made note of Keeton's "disagreement in several class discussions and in written assignments with the gay and lesbian 'lifestyle,'" and her belief that those "lifestyles" are cases of identity confusion. "The faculty identifies Miss Keeton's views as indicative of her improper professional disposition to persons of such populations," the lawsuit states. The university tells Fox News it does not discriminate, but the "curriculum of the counseling education program states that counselors in training" must "follow the ACA Code of Ethics."

Jennifer Keeton
Jennifer Keeton   (YouTube screenshot)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 236 comments
chad
Aug 2, 2010 12:41 PM CDT
too bad someone so beuatiful can wreck her outward image by opening her mouth and virtually saying "yes I am willfully ignorant and intolerant". it's all about ethical behavior. DOn't know how many of you went to college, but even my undergrad in illustration had requirements and if not up to par, it was suggested changing majors or at least th e subset of the art major. This is WAY more important. It is every schools faculty responsibility to regulate indivuduals that graduate in to careers that focus on helping people change their lives ion some way. There are standards to adhear to or there woudl be no need for training. I certainly know no one here would disagree that if a med student clearly didnt have the right stuff, and the refusal to give that student a cetification, degree or whathave you, clearly will be preventative of puttting any human life in danger, is the right thing to do. Well, this is very much the same. Biblical litalism has it's place. She can be a christian counselor or a pastor, but trying to frausdulently sneak in the back door with a agenda of unleashing in ideology in place of set standards shoudl be treated like a crime. it is fraud and it is dangerous. we shoud stone her.
chasp
Jul 28, 2010 8:53 PM CDT
Counseling troubled people rquires training and understanding. As a Biologist I know Homosexuals are born not made. If they ask for help the last thing they need is to be is preached to, Like we that are normal know we must leave others alone sexualy, they must do the same. Crossing that line is a crime.
minki
Jul 28, 2010 5:35 PM CDT
Suppose she has a person/student who is homosexual and is being harassed, will she have the right to refuse the person counseling based on her belief that homosexuality is a "lifestyle" or get to tell the person to stop living it and start loving the "correct" gender they were born to love? I like how Fox News gets involved with stories like these just to create martyrdom out of them.

 
homosexuality • civil lawsuits • Jennifer Keeton • Augusta State University

 

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