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the_forgotten_thought Captain
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 Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 5:21 pm
i found this on another site, like, 20 seconds ago and read through it. it's really interesting. what do you guys think about it?:
We’ve heard of “don’t ask, don’t tell” type policies where homosexuals can be tossed from an organization if they openly discuss their sexuality. But, according to the Tucker Carlson-founded news site The Daily Caller, Augusta State University graduate student in counseling Jennifer Keeton, 24, has filed a lawsuit against her school over claims that administrators violated her First Amendment rights when they told her to change her traditionalist Christian views on homosexuality or leave campus.
“They made a cascading series of presumptions about the kind of a counselor she would be and have consequently … tried to force her to change her beliefs,” said David French, the Alliance Defense Fund attorney representing Keeton. “It’s symbolic of an educational system that has lost its way.”
According to the suit, Keeton claims that the university retaliated against her for stating her belief that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice and not a “state of being,” and that gender is not a social construct subject to individual change. Additionally, she said the school ordered her to undergo an Orwellian-sounding “thought reform” program intended to change her religious beliefs, or face expulsion.
The university’s Counseling Education Program handbook requires such reform programs for students whose conduct is not deemed “satisfactory on interpersonal or professional criteria unrelated to academic performance.” Keeton received a copy of the program in May, noting that it questioned her ability to be a “multiculturally competent counselor” because she veered from the prevailing view on homosexuality and attempted to get others to see things her way, according to the Caller.
The form also questioned her support for “conversion therapy” for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender populations. As part of the program she was ordered to attend at least three pro-gay sensitivity training courses, read pro-gay peer-reviewed journals on GLBTQ issues, participate in activities such as Augusta’s gay pride parade and submit a two-page “reflection” each month on how her participation in pro-gay activities has influenced her beliefs.
According to emails between Keeton and her professors, they didn’t expect her to change her beliefs, but rather to not expect others to share them or to impose them during counseling sessions, viewing such proselytizing as unethical for a counselor. The American Counseling Association said in a statement that, “the ACA Code of Ethics serves to ensure that counselors and counselors-in-training conduct themselves in a way which is consistent with the ideals of the profession. As such, the core values of diversity, multiculturalism and inclusion are present throughout the code and are crucial to the ethical decision-making process.”
Do You Think the University Has a Right to Order Keeton to Undergo 'Thought Reform'?
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 5:30 pm
I've read this before. The remediation plan that she needed included improving her skills in writing and grammar. They did not tell her to change her views on homosexuality but they DID say that she needed to attend sensitivity training. The reason behind this is because she is looking to get her masters and become a counselor. She has in the past imposed her beliefs on others (based on what I've read). She didn't meet/follow the ACA Code of Ethics which the counseling program adheres to.
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 5:31 pm
Hmmm... I don't think the university's demands are unreasonable, but "Thought Reform" does have a rather sinister ring to it. A counsellor should be objective enough to accept others' beliefs and not try to force their own beliefs. That is definitely not a counsellor's purpose.
If taking the program is a part of her education, than she should take it. She is a student, and as such is subject to the orders of university.
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