Here’s something awesome: A graduate student in school counseling who is publicly and vocally anti-gay is suing her school because university officials dared to suggest she might not be able to effectively counsel gay and lesbian clients.
I was directed to this story by Jon Newton of p2pnet; the Chronicle of Higher Education ran a slightly longer description of the lawsuit. Here’s the breakdown:
Jennifer Keeton, a student at Augusta State University in Augusta, GA, has been crystal clear on her views toward homosexuality: It’s immoral, a lifestyle choice, and in direct opposition to her Christian beliefs.
According to the suit, faculty members threatened Keeton with expulsion unless she underwent a “remediation plan” intended, presumably, to increase her acceptance of the GLBTQ community; the Chronicle article offers the following details:
The plan calls on Ms. Keeton to attend workshops on serving diverse populations, read articles on counseling gay, lesbian, and bisexual and transgendered people, and write reports to an adviser summarizing what she has learned. It also instructs her to work to increase her exposure to, and interaction with, gay populations, and suggests that she attend the local gay-pride parade. Ms. Keeton has refused to comply.
The suit argues that Keeton’s personal views toward homosexuality would not interfere with her ability to offer competent counseling to gay and lesbian clients. You can see a video of Keeton explaining her stance here.
Two points: First, if you are so judgmental and bigoted about a group of people that you are simply unable to keep your mouth shut about it, what in the world would lead you to believe you would make a competent counselor to anybody, least of all the people whose lifestyles you unequivocally deplore?
Second, if you unequivocally deplore the lifestyles of an entire group of people, why in the world would you want to counsel them anyway, competently or otherwise?
For goodness’ sake: school counseling. One of the most significant sets of issues young people deal with surround sexuality. Straight, queer, trans, or otherwise, all clients deserve to be counseled by someone who has not already made up her mind about what sorts of sexual attractions, dispositions, and behaviors are moral and which are a Crime Against the Lord.
Why is this woman suing? Why in the world does she even want to be a school counselor?
Related posts:
- Letter from a Bloomington high school student to the students of Aurora Alternative High School
- yay gay rights! boo rich white gay people!
- And speaking of people who have no lessons to teach us…
- Jay Smooth on people who act like they don’t pay attention to politics because they’re smarter than the rest of us
Melissa
July 26th, 2010
“Second, if you unequivocally deplore the lifestyles of an entire group of people, why in the world would you want to counsel them anyway, competently or otherwise?”
I believe the answer ism so that you can counsel them out of their dysfunction, which, in this case, is homosexuality.
Jenna McWilliams
July 26th, 2010
Yes, which is an ineffective or at least inappropriate approach to counseling. I wonder how a court of law will see things.
Ironicus
July 27th, 2010
“Why in the world does she even want to be a school counselor?”
Short answer: She doesn’t want to be a counselor, she wants to be a evangelist. We’ve run across too many people in schools whose idea of “counseling” is telling the kids what you would do if you were them.
Jenna McWilliams
July 27th, 2010
So, then…perhaps her graduate program is attempting to safeguard against the possibility that this is exactly the sort of counselor they will be releasing to the general public.