Missouri State
tosses student over Christian beliefs about 'gays'
Officials tell him 'he could not hold these views'
Missouri State
University has joined a growing number of government
institutions that punish Christians for their biblical view of marriage
and homosexual relationships, dismissing a student from a counseling program
for expressing concern about counseling same-sex duos, according to a new lawsuit.
WND has documented the legal
punishment of photographers, florists, bakers and others for
upholding the Christian definition of marriage as the union of one man and one
woman.
Now a lawsuit alleges Missouri State officials have
punished former counseling student Andrew Cash for his support of traditional
marriage.
The lawsuit from the Thomas More Society alleges the discrimination
was carried out by Missouri State governors Peter Hofherr, Joe
Carmichael, Stephen Hoven, Carrie Tergin, Beverly Miller, Gregory Spears,
Kendall Seal, Tyree Lewis, Gabrial Gore and Virginia Fry, as well as President
Clifton Smart III, Internship Coordinator Kristi Perryman, Tamara Arthaud, the
head of the counseling department, and Angela Anderson, a faculty member.
Cash, according to the lawsuit, “was targeted and
punished for expressing his Christian worldview regarding a hypothetical
situation concerning whether he would provide counseling services to a
gay/homosexual couple.”
“Since he did not give the ‘correct’ answer required by
his counseling instructors, he was considered unsuitable for counseling and terminated
from the program,” the lawsuit alleges.
All counselors have personal opinions, and when a
conflict arises with a potential patient, it’s common to refer the patient to
another counselor.
However, even that option is being denied Cash, according
to the lawsuit.
A university spokeswoman
told WND, “We do not comment on pending litigation.”
Then she commented, “We do not discriminate based on
religion or any other protected classes.”
The law firm explains Cash was dismissed from his Master
of Science in counseling program after “expressing concern over counseling
same-sex couples due to his religious views.”
“His suit claims that he is unable to be a counselor and
suffers daily emotional grief and pain. He is also seeking MSU to reinstate him
in his [program] with safeguards so that he can earn his degree.”
Cash was a student “in excellent standing and nearing the
completing of his degree” when he was removed, the complaint explains.
“Traditionally, universities have been places for freedom
of thought, expression, and religion,” said Tom Olp, executive director for the
Thomas More Society. “Yet we see Missouri State University has betrayed
long-held values of academic freedom by denying educational opportunity to Mr.
Cash on the basis of his deeply held religious beliefs. We are working to
correct the denial to freedom of expression and freedom of religion he
experienced at MSU.”
Cash was fulfilling a requirement for 240 hours with
clients, working with the school-approved Springfield Marriage and Family
Institute, when “it became known to his academic adviser that Cash would not
counsel a gay couple with regards to their relationship,” the legal team said.
“He expressed that he would be happy to counsel gay
individuals on any other matter – for instance, depression or anxiety – and
would be glad to refer them to a counselor better fit to advise on same-sex
relationship matters. Suddenly, the school determined SMFI was no longer
considered an appropriate location for a school internship due to ‘ethical
concerns,'” the Thomas More Society said.
Further, school officials abruptly demanded he re-do some
coursework he already had completed. They canceled the 51 clinical hours he had
completed at the location approved by the school and demanded, essentially,
that he change his beliefs.
The lawsuit explains Perryman “told plaintiff that he
could not hold these views, which she deemed to be unethical, and which, she
asserted, contradicted the American Counseling Association’s code of ethics.”
“Perryman … directed plaintiff not to return to his
internship at SMFI, the internship that she had approved just three months
before,” the lawsuit says.
She also said she would require the correct response from
him to an article titled “Implications for Refusing to Counseling (sic)
Homosexual Relationships” as a condition of his continuing.
The school officials then colluded to refuse him
permission to continue his schooling, the lawsuit contends.
Even though he had a GPA of 3.81, was in good standing
with the school and held a clean record, Cash “was called into a meeting with
the department head and the dean of the college of education and was informed
he was being removed.”
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the
Western District of Missouri, contends: “Plaintiff passed the National
Counselor Exam, the NCE, and all he needed to graduate was to finish his
internship hours, finish his seminar paper, and take comps. He was very close
to realizing his dream to become a counsel, a dream that has now been dashed.”
Further, the Office for Institutional Equity and
Compliance “determined that although it was inconclusive that religious
discrimination had occurred, that … Perryman’s personal feelings about this
experience were the catalyst for plaintiff’s dismissal.”
Still the school refused to correct the situation, the
lawsuit says.
The case alleges school officials violated his First
Amendment right to freedom of expression then retaliated against him.
“Defendants … compelled plaintiff to advocate and speak
in favor of ideas which are not his own, thereby depriving plaintiff of his
clearly established rights to freedom of speech and expression secured by the
First Amendment,” the lawyers outline.
As a result, the complaint contends, “irreparable harm”
was done.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages and the restoration of
Cash’s standing in the counseling program so he can continue working toward a
degree.
Missouri
Timothy Wolfe
was the president of the University of
Missouri System, and is a member of the Business-Higher Education Forum.
Note: Indra K. Nooyi is
a member of the Business-Higher
Education Forum, and an overseer at the International Rescue Committee.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee, and the Robin Hood Foundation.
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Clifford S.
Asness is a director at the International
Rescue Committee, supported same-sex
marriage in New York, and a leadership
council member for the Robin Hood
Foundation.
Emma Bloomberg
was the chief of staff for the Robin
Hood Foundation, and is Michael R.
Bloomberg’s daughter.
Michael R.
Bloomberg is Emma Bloomberg’s
father, was a donor for the Robin Hood
Foundation, the New York (NY)
mayor, and an advocate for the ONE
Campaign.
Michelle Obama was
an advocate for the ONE Campaign.
International
Rescue Committee is a partner with the ONE
Campaign.
Indra K. Nooyi is an
overseer at the International Rescue Committee,
and a member of the Business-Higher
Education Forum.
Timothy Wolfe is
a member of the Business-Higher
Education Forum, and was the president of the University of Missouri System.
Brian
Bond is an executive director for the Missouri
Democratic Party, and an executive director, Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council for the Democratic National Committee.
Andrew Tobias is
the treasurer for the Democratic
National Committee, and the Grand Marshall for the New York City Gay Pride Parade, 2005.
Nancy Jacobson
was the finance director for
the Democratic National Committee,
and the founder/senior adviser for the Third
Way.
Daniel S. Loeb
was a trustee at the Third Way, and supported
same-sex marriage in New York.
Clifford S.
Asness supported same-sex marriage
in New York, was a leadership
council member for the Robin Hood
Foundation, and is a director at the International
Rescue Committee.
Indra K. Nooyi is an
overseer at the International Rescue Committee,
and a member of the Business-Higher
Education Forum.
Timothy Wolfe is
a member of the Business-Higher
Education Forum, and was the president of the University of Missouri System.
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