As our goal with this blog is to give our members a platform for expressing political opinion, we have opened up to students who wish to write "op-ed" pieces about political issues that are important to them. These pieces do not reflect official views of our club, but rather help to demonstrate the diversity of ideas and opinions our members have.
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Thoughts on our rights and beliefs
Matt Miklas
mmiklas@aug.edu
As many people know here at Augusta State University, the Ku Klux Klan will rally in support of Jennifer Keeton, a student who sued the university because she felt the university was trying to change her beliefs on homosexuality and invading her freedom of religion.
To most people, freedom of religion is considered to be a basic fundamental human right. However, what is a right? What is a belief? And how does one claim to have their rights and beliefs invaded, when they themselves think that they have a right to judge one’s beliefs and rights and reject professional help?
According to the dictionary, a right is an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature. Therefore, Keeton has a right to feel how she wants on homosexuality, but Augusta State has a right to develop their counseling program however they want. With that being said, Keeton has a right to deny homosexuals counseling, but until she graduates she does not obtain that right to do so, because Augusta State is an institution, and they hold more power than Keeton.In general, Augusta State was not trying to take anyone’s rights away. What they were basically doing was obeying the laws of counseling which were given to them by the American Counseling Association. In a nutshell, they were doing what they were supposed to be doing.
In essence, Keeton should follow the old adage, which is “do what the Romans do.” For example, if I were to move to Mexico I would be expected to speak Spanish and eat their food, because that is what everyone else in Mexico would do. In essence, if you are in a graduate program at a university and you would have to follow those certain guidelines, because that is what you have to do in order to get a start in life.
Now, what is a belief? In this instance a belief is the degree to which an individual believes in conventional values, morality and the legitimacy of law.
Most people I know, have a belief like Keeton, and think that homosexuality is wrong. In my opinion, I am not a huge supporter of homosexuality, but I do believe that we are all children of a higher being and that everyone should be treated equally, no matter what color they are, what their sexual preference is, or what religion they come from.
I have seen on T.V. that there have been a series of suicides among gay teens. I am saddened to see this as I see future dreams being dashed, because of what people do to each other. I firmly believe that if we have counseling professionals out there who hold these same beliefs as Keeton, and reject helping people of all backgrounds, I firmly believe that there will be more suicides to come, more funerals to attend, and less people sitting at the dinner table for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Therefore, to answer the last question, “how does one claim to have their rights and beliefs invaded, when they themselves think that they have a right to judge one’s beliefs and rights and reject professional help?” I firmly believe that is not right on any level. I believe that if someone is in need of help, you would help them no matter. In my opinion, that is a basic right that we all have and we must oblige. I also feel that Augusta State is a fair and just university and in no way do I feel that they would ever alienate anybody’s rights.
I could probably write a whole lot of less than lovely words about the Jennifer Keeton case. I think this girl is completely in the wrong and if the courts rule in her favor I will find it a huge failing of our court system. ASU never asked her to change her beliefs, however, as an institution to give her a degree is to certify that she has fulfilled all the requirements for that program and has a firm grasp of the field. For Keeton, it wasn't changing her BELIEFS about homosexuality, but rather, how she was stating she intended to COUNSEL teens! She had made several statements saying that she would either 1) refuse to counsel them or 2) counsel them on the bible.
ReplyDeleteAs a public institution, ASU has chosen for its counseling program, to abide by the guidelines laid out by professional counseling organizations. Just as the political science department uses the APSA style guides (American Political Science Association) and other programs have their own guidelines. Keeton should have known this before going into the program. If she didn't do her homework before selecting her GRADUATE school, then shame on her. And even if she didn't - then she could have transfered to another institution that didn't use standards she couldn't live up to.
There are plenty of religious institutions out there that don't follow the standards set out by secular institutions. She could have chosen to go to one of those, in addition, there are plenty of private religious schools that would be happy to employ a counselor with her outlook on homosexuality. Keeton didn't bother to look into any of those options.
The way I see her, she wants her cake and to eat it too. She didn't find the standards ASU chose to abide by wrong when she was filling out the financial aid paperwork...but suddenly, when asked to actually you know - MEET them - suddenly they weren't so great.
So, as they say on the internet,
Cry m0ar Keeton!
In another note, if the KKK was rallying to support me, I'd seriously reconsider my stance.
ReplyDeleteCounselor's religious views, in regards to the counseled, are irrelevant. They're supposed to be unbiased, supportive, and helpful to who they counsel. If she, like Carrie said, intended to counsel within a church as some churches do provide, ok, who cares? But she indeed did choose a non-religious graduate school and doesn't seem like she intended to counsel within a church.
ReplyDeleteMs. Jennifer Keeton believes ASU infringed on her first amendment rights: Freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Before graduating, ASU wants Keeton to complete a gay/lesbian counseling program that disposes her to studying and understanding the gay/lesbian community. I think Keeton does not agree with this graduation requirement because she believes it is forcing her to promote and practice something that conflicts with her religious and personal beliefs. I disagree with her claim because ASU's course requirement clearly does not infringe on her freedom of religion or freedom of speech.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I think this counseling program does not want her to become a gay/lesbian, nor does it want her to promote gay/lesbian practices. I think it's designed to help her understand and communicate to the community that she will likely counsel in her chosen field. This makes perfect business sense. Chick-Fil-A has Christian morals and values, but I don't see them turning away every gay/lesbian that walks through their front doors, and they are very successful. Keeton does not have to endorse gays/lesbians, but she does have to study and get familiar with this community before she can graduate. That's part of the grad program. That does not infringe on her freedom to practice Christianity because she does not have to stop being a Christian. Her argument would be different if ASU was a Christian college, but it's actually a liberal arts college. I think Keeton's motion is implying that she wants ASU to become a Christian school, but I think those are private, not public.
I believe this is also true regarding Keeton's freedom of speech. ASU does not want her to endorse gay/lesbian beliefs, but she must understand these people before she can graduate from her desired program.
I believe Augusta State University has not infringed on Jennifer Keeton's first amendment rights, but she has the right file a suit against ASU. She also has the right to protest, and anyone who supports her also has this same privilege.