FollowUp 1: Will gay students be 'collateral damage' to the cause of 'religious liberty?'

There is an answer to that question.  The answer is no.  The Chronicle of Higher Education today reports that Ms. Keeton lost her appeal.  She had been suing to be allowed to complete a program on counseling without doing the complete program, as counseling homosexuals would interfere with her religious liberty.  She lost the first round in August 2010.  This was the appeal.

The court noted that the requirements of the counseling program—needed for its continued accreditation and compliance with the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics—are similar to the rules for judges, who must apply laws even if they consider them erroneous.

“In seeking to evade the curricular requirement that she not impose her moral values on clients,” the court said, “Keeton is looking for preferential, not equal, treatment.”

This is very good news for people who may have been turned away from a counselor when they needed her most.  This is also good news in that it is an indirect repudiation of the Ku Klux Klan.  This is an indirect repudiation of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality.  Finally, it is a direct repudiation of the Alliance Defense Fund, who defended Ms. Keeton in court and are a legal arm for the anti-equality movement.

No one objects to Ms. Keeton praying to whatever God she chooses, when she chooses to do so, or how she chooses to do so (as long as no one is injured in the process).  On the job, one must do as the employer specifies.  Certain religious exemptions make sense, but not those that prevent the employee from doing the job.  The same is true for a student seeking to complete a degree or certification program.

Thanks to Joe My God for the heads up.

30 November 2011, Guest Post at Pedantic Political Ponderings.

Guest Post: Will gay students be 'collateral damage' to the cause of 'religious liberty?'

This is reblogged with the kind permission of the author, Black Tsunami of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

---

The lgbtq community would do well for itself to pay attention to two lawsuits fueled by religious right organizations. From an article in today's Augusta Chronicle:

An attorney for a graduate school counseling student told federal judges in Atlanta on Tuesday that the student’s First Amendment rights were violated when professors at Augusta State University sought to punish her for her biblical views on gay rights.

ASU put Jennifer Keeton on academic probation for saying it would be hard for her to work with gay clients, and threatened to expel her unless she attended events such as Augusta’s gay pride parade, Keeton’s attorney Jeff Shafer told the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Keeton initially sued ASU  when she was expelled from its graduate student program because she refused to take part in a mediation program. It required her to read material about counseling gays and increase her exposure to the gay community. The mediation program was set up after Keeton said that she would tell gay potential clients that their orientation was wrong and then try to help them "change" their sexual orientation.

Her lawsuit was struck down by U.S. District Judge Randal Hall last year. Hall said that the university had every right to set requirements for students. Hall also said that Keeton provided no proof that she was discriminated against because of her religious faith. According to The Augusta Chronicle in an article at the time:

In an Aug. 11 hearing, ASU professors testified that the plan was not a punishment for voicing her beliefs, but a tool to teach Keeton how to counsel clients while not imposing her views.

"All three professors testified that they never told (Keeton) that she was required to change her religious beliefs in order to stay in the counseling program," Hall wrote.

He noted that Keeton did not testify at the hearing nor present any witnesses in support of her motion.

Hall said Keeton's unwillingness to adhere to the school's viewpoint-neutral code of ethics set by the American Counseling Association constitutes a refusal to complete the curriculum.

Keeton is now appealing this ruling. Today's article goes on to say that she allegedly told other students that she was interested in practicing "conversion therapy," or therapy which claims to change someone's sexual orientation. It also said that there was some concern that since Keeton was scheduled to practice in middle and high schools as a part of her degree program, her views could pose problems to students.

Keeton's case is very similar to that of Julea Ward, who was removed from Eastern Michigan University's counseling program in 2009 because she did not want to counsel to gays for the same reason as Keeton. She is also studying to be a guidance counselor. She sued EMU but lost last year for the same reason as Keeton. Her case is also being appealed.

The counseling programs by Eastern Michigan University and Augusta State University are guided by a code of ethics by the American Counseling Association. It is this code which both universities say are at odds with  Keeton and Ward. It forbids counselors from discriminating in their practices or imposing their view on potential clients.

Interestingly enough, the same anti-gay organization, the Alliance Defense Fund, is handling both Keeton and Ward's case. David Kaplan,the chief professional officer for the ACA, had this to say about the Alliance Defense Fund:

"The driving force behind this is the Alliance Defense Fund. They are specifically looking for legal cases, not just in counseling, to promote their agenda"

In both the Keeton and Ward case, it is being demanded that the university counseling programs in question give allowances based on someone's religious beliefs, even though these allowances would be against the code of ethics which govern these programs.

What's more, these are cases in which both defendants have expressed a desire to be school guidance counselors.

It leaves me asking one question.

If universities can be successfully sued by individuals who don't want to learn about counseling to gays on the grounds of "religious beliefs,"  what would stop middle and high schools from being sued by individuals who may not be hired if they state that they will not counsel gay students on those same grounds?

Where would that leave the lgbtq students who would undoubtedly be collateral damage to this supposed adherence to "religious liberty?"

19 December 2011, FollowUp 1.

Repudiation: Liars Defending DOMA

Paul Strand of the Christian Broadcasting Network wrote an article today that brings together a number of the Southern Poverty Law Center's certified hate groups and their lies.

Efforts are underway in nation's capital to wipe out the Defense of Marriage Act -- the federal law that defines marriage the traditional way.

Technically this is not correct, though that would be the effect.  The full text of the proposed legislation does change title 1 and title 28 of the United States Code to remove the discrimination of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  However, it must be pointed out that "the traditional way" marriage is defined was not what DOMA enshrines until fairly recently.

DOMA also protects states from having to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states and ensures federal benefits only go to married heterosexual couples.

This is correct.

Opponents question why the government is allowed to descriminate (sic) against homosexual couples.

But DOMA supporters say throughout history, governments have found it crucial to promote marriage as between one man and one woman.

Funny that the Bible has frequent passages that record the history of marriage between one man and two or more women.  As I mentioned above, DOMA's definition of marriage is a fairly recent construction.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Nov. 10 move a bill forward that would get rid of DOMA.

"It really stops a pernicious discrimination," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said.

Supporting lawmakers also blasted those who want to preserve traditional marriage without allowing gay marriage.

"They know they're wrong in their hearts," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

Good!

To challenge the fight against traditional marriage, the Family Research Council released a 30-minute DVD titled, "The Problem with Same Sex Marriage."

The video claims that in states like Massachusetts, where gay marriage has been legalized, schools are pushing the homosexual agenda on children through literature and lessons.

"The homosexual agenda" is in fact an agenda of acceptance and tolerance, not pushing sexuality on anyone.  The implied message here is that Massachusetts will work through the schools to make children gay.  This is an absurd notion, but frightening to those who are not aware that medical science proves otherwise.

"Our children are being indoctrinated on same-sex marriage and the rightness, the correctness of homosexuality," Kris Mineau, with the Massachusetts Family Institute, said in the short documentary.

There is no indoctrination.  Homosexuality exists and children are being asked to be tolerant of others who are not like themselves.  Homosexuality is correct for homosexuals as heterosexuality is correct for heterosexuals.  Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts and five other states and the District of Columbia (as well as ten other countries).  No one should ever be coerced into a marriage ... the concept is gross.  If someone does not like same sex marriage, they should not marry someone of the same sex.

"I even put this concern to the chairman at the time of the school committee," added local parent David Parker. "A little girl saying, 'I love my girl friend; I must be gay.' And [the chairman] said, 'David, I have no problem with that whatsoever.'"

Why should the school care whether any child is gay or straight.  The school is not able to make a gay child straight or a straight child gay.  "Efforts to try to force an individual to change his or her orientation are very likely to be unsuccessful and in the end can seriously damage the self-esteem of people who fail."

"'The Little Black Book: Queer in the 21st Century' -- it tells kids how to perform homosexual sex acts," said Brian Camenker, president of MassResistance.org.

This is a booklet that Mass Resistance claimed to have found after a GLSEN meeting in Massachusetts and has used as propaganda every since.  It is a real booklet, largely consisting of warning and guides to how to avoid dangerous situations, but the claim that it had anything to do with Boston schools or GLSEN is a lie.

Leading traditional marriage proponents told CBN News that condemnation is pouring down on their heads.

"It's becoming increasingly clear that the gay rights movement, the gay marriage movement, really does believe you're like a racist if you think marriage is the union of husband and wife," explained Maggie Gallagher, co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage. "They want to rip Genesis out of our Bibles."

No.  A racist is a particular kind of bigot.  Those who favor marriage equality are calling Ms. Gallagher a bit, but not a racist.  And no to the second allegation.  No one seeks to rip Genesis out of the Bible.  This is silliness.  What we want Ms. Gallagher to do is to stop cherry-picking the Bible for the verses that she likes to impose on others while ignoring others that might make her uncomfortable.  She can believe whatever she wants, but is not welcome to use her bigotry to limit my God-given rights.

"But marriage wasn't invented in the 1950s by a bunch of southern fundamentalists or something like that," added Jordan Lorence, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund.

That is correct.  In the Bible we see many marriages.  How many wives did Solomon have again?

"I think many of the 'elites' -- and I've been in many debates with them -- do view this as sort of like they do have a more heightened understanding, a more advanced moral sensibility than 'the masses,' than the 'ignorant masses,'" Lorence explained.

So Mr. Lorence sees this as a war of the elites versus the common man?  Most us are common men.  We are neither superior nor inferior, simply different in sexual orientation.

DOMA supporters say there's a reason governments have continuously favored and promoted traditional marriage.

"Marriage really matters in itself," Gallagher said. "It's the way we teach the next generation that we need to bring together male and female so that children have a mom and dad."

Marriage does really matter.  It matters because it is a fundamental right according to the Supreme Court of the United States in Loving v. Virginia.  It matters because it is a way for a loving couple to extend their commitment to one another.  It matters because children of same sex couples deserve to have all of the protections of marriage.  The fact is that there are a lot of children who have same sex parents and they do just as well as those who have opposite sex parents.

"A child has the best potential for emotional, physical, financial well-being if they're raised by one man and one woman committed in the institution of marriage," added Bishop Joseph Mattera, with the New York Christ Covenant Coalition. "And that's sociological data. We're not even talking about the Bible."

This is simply a lie.  The Bishop is bearing false witness.

"The experience of all these cultures [is] they say, 'We'll just leave people alone, let them do whatever they want when it comes to marriage and sex and children' ... Over time, the men act irresponsibly, they exploit the women, they neglect the children," Lorence explained.

"So the people who run these societies say, 'You know what? We're not going to sustain ourselves as a community if we continue doing this,'" he said.

There is absolutely no evidence of marriage equality leading to irresponsible behavior, exploitation of women, or abandoned children.  Mr. Lorence is delusional.

The FRC documentary pointed out that gay couples raising children are "somewhere from five to 15 times as likely to be homosexual or bisexual as the general population."

These numbers are made up, fictional.  The truth is that children of same sex couples are no more likely than children of opposite sex couples to be homosexual or bisexual.

Gallagher warned society is playing with fire when it condemns those who insist on one man, one woman marriage.

"And to have the government step in and redefine that view as a form of bigotry has immense consequences for every single human being living in a culture," she said.

Bigotry is inherent in those, like Ms. Gallagher, who discriminate, using their made-up "facts" that have no basis in reality as the reason to legislate hatred.  The bigot calls those who notice her bigotry bigots.  Absurd.

There are probably more lies in the CBN article that I did not challenge.  For a religious organization, a group that claims to follow the Ten Commandments, to so blatantly break the 9th Commandment is disgusting.  That they are hurting fellow human beings, their relationships and their children, in the process is despicable.

Thanks to Joe My God and Good As You for the heads up.