Ms. Keeton is studying to become a school counselor, which falls under the auspices and guidelines of the American Counseling Association. The ACA has its own Code of Ethics to which all counselors must adhere, which includes prohibiting counselors from discriminating against anyone in a professional setting based on factors such as gender identity and sexual orientation, among others. So, in this particular instance, we have a situation where Augusta State University appears to be taking it upon themselves to preemptively expel Ms. Keeton from its program before she would be eligible to graduate and attempt to begin a career as school counselor.
At this point, a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Ms. Keeton by her attorney, David French, claiming that the school is unfairly discriminating against Keeton based on her religious beliefs. As this thing unfolds, there will probably be several judges who will be forced to grapple with the legal ramifications of these arguments.
But what is more glaringly apparent to me is the difficulty that an issue like homosexuality presents in certain academic settings. Even in today's society, where homosexuality is ever-present in pop culture and much of the stigma has been removed, there are still many people and many areas of the country who believe that homosexuality is a damnable offense against God. And regardless of the logical or ethical arguments one might choose to present, they are very likely to fall on deaf ears. When it comes to issues like homosexuality, people are going to believe what they are going to believe. Ask Carrie Prejean.
In an instance like this, however, we have an aspiring school counselor who will eventually be charged with helping children and young adults as they plan their academic lives. Because most academic advice is provided in high school and college, it's likely that issues of sexuality will be present in many forms and will have an impact on the lives of most students in one way or another. It's easy to imagine the problems that could potentially result when a young homosexual person approaches his or her school counselor for advice, only to find that she does not recognize homosexuality as a human condition - but rather as an active choice that has been made, and one with which she happens to vehemently disagree. That could make for a rather brief counseling session.
Of course, there likely are religious institutions out there, where Ms. Keeton's views would be welcomed and encouraged among school counselors. So in that regard, it may be a bit harsh on the part of the University to threaten expulsion for her stated beliefs. Instead, it would likely be most ethical of the University to work closely with Ms. Keeton to attempt to find a counseling path for her that would ensure that she is providing the most valuable services possible upon her graduation. Certainly, that may not be at public universities or high schools, but there are most certainly destinations where she could be a great asset to the educational experience to the right group of young people. At least until such time as the rights of homosexuals are recognized and protected by the United States of America.
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