Americans United: Iowa Supreme Court RulingOnMarriageUpholdsReligious Liberty, Says Americans United

[Douglas Laycock]

Clarification:  This was a student at Eastern Michigan University.  Michigan State University had a rough night last night against Carolina, but it had nothing to do with discriminating against Ms. Ward. 

This issue was litigated a few years ago in the Social Work Department at Southwest Missouri State, and if I recall, ended in a big settlement for the student.  These cases are clear examples where live and let live yields an obvious solution -- refer the gay counselee to a counselor who can actually help him and will have no conflict with conscience -- and ideologues on one side or the other reject live and let live and seek either coercively imposed thought reform or explusion from the program. 

Quoting Rick Duncan <nebraskalawprof at yahoo.com>:

> Here is another example--from the Religion Clause blog-- of the 
> inevitable conflict between gay rights and religious liberty:
>
>
>
>
> Former Student Challenges University's Requirements for Counseling Practicum
>
>
>
> Last week, a former graduate student at Michigan State University
> filed suit in a Michigan federal district court alleging that she was
> unconstitutionally dismissed from the University's graduate Counselling
> Program solely because her religious beliefs and expression regarding
> homosexual behavior contradicted those of the University's counseling
> department. Ward believes that homosexual behavior is immoral and can
> be changed. In Ward v. Members of the Board of Control of Eastern 
> Michigan University, (ED MI, filed 4/2/2009) (full text of complaint),
> Julea Ward alleged that disciplinary proceedings were brought against
> her because in her Counseling Practicum course she referred a
> homosexual client to another counsellor rather than affirm and validate
> the client's homosexual conduct. She was told that to remain in the
> program she would need to undergo a "remediation" program to "see the
> error of her ways" and change her "belief system" on homosexual
> conduct. Alliance Defense Fund issued a release
> announcing the filing of the lawsuit. The University today refused
> specific comment, but said that it is a "diverse campus with a strong
> commitment not to discriminate on the basis of gender, race,
> disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or
> expression." (Ann Arbor News.)
>
>
> Another is what public schools teach impressionable children about 
> marriage and human sexuality in states where the law affirms the 
> goodness of homosexual marriages and relationships. The law is a 
> seminar and the public school curricula, which is taught to all our 
> children, will reflect what the law teaches about marriage and sexual 
> orientation.
>
> Again, school vouchers would allow parents to opt out of the "common" 
> curriculum and avoid the inevitable conflict that arises when one 
> side of the culture war gets to teach the other side's children what 
> is the true, the good and the beautiful.
>
> Cheers, Rick Duncan
>
>
>
>

Douglas Laycock
Yale Kamisar Collegiate Professor of Law
University of Michigan Law School
625 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-1215
  734-647-9713
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