School Expulsion May Have Been Faith-Based [View all]

[The Straight Story]

School Expulsion May Have Been Faith-Based

(CN) - The 6th Circuit revived claims that Eastern Michigan University professors violated free speech by expelling a Christian graduate student who did not want to work with a gay client.

Julea Ward was 13 credits hours away from completing her master's degree in counseling in 2009 when she enrolled in a practicum that required students to provide one-on-one counseling with real clients.

Upon receiving the profile of her third client, a man who sought counseling about a same-sex relationship, Ward, a devout Christian, requested that the client be referred to someone else because "her faith prevented her from affirming a client's same-sex relationships."

Eastern Michigan University teaches students to "affirm" their clients' values during counseling sessions, but Ward often told professors during her three years in the program that her faith prevented her from affirming conduct such as homosexuality or extramarital relationships.

...

The code in question states that "counselors [1] are aware of their own values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors and [2] avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling goals. [3] Counselors respect the diversity of clients, trainees and research participants."

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/02/01/43551.htm