On Friday, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court's ruling in favor of Augusta State University's decision to expel Keeton from its counseling program.
Keeton sued the university last year after they declared her anti-gay beliefs incompatible with the counseling profession. She argued that professors had violated her rights to free speech and the free exercise of her faith.
In its ruling, the lower court said it was reasonable for a public university to enforce academic standards.
The three-judge appeals panel unanimously ruled that Keeton was unlikely to prevail in her case.
According to the lawsuit, Keeton was presented with a remediation plan in May 2010, in which faculty members said her views on gay and transgender persons are “professionally suspect.” The plan called for Keeton to attend a minimum of three diversity workshops with an emphasis on the gay community, increase her exposure and interaction with gay populations (attending gay pride was suggested), and increase her study and research on improving counseling effectiveness with LGBT people.
The graduate student was advised that failure to complete the plan could result in dismissal from the program.
Keeton described the plan as an attack on her religious beliefs. The plan would require her to “tell clients wanting to hear it that homosexual sex is moral,” she said in court papers.
The argument that they are attempting to alter her belief system is kind of hypocritical considering that is what she fully intended to do with her clients. If you don't want someone to alter your beliefs, then why would you so readily do it to someone else?
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