MSU sued by student who told professor he wouldn't counsel gay couples
A former student is suing school officials at Missouri State University claiming he was kicked out of the counseling program after he said he wouldn't counsel gay couples.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court, Andrew Cash said he was removed from the master's counseling program at MSU in 2014 after he tried to complete his internship at a Christian-based counseling agency.
The lawsuit says Cash was a student at MSU in January 2011 when he began an internship at the Springfield Marriage and Family Institute, a Christian-based organization.
That semester, Cash was assigned to do a class presentation. For his presentation, Cash asked W.K. Boyce, the supervisor of his internship at the Springfield Marriage and Family Institute, to talk to the class about Christian relationship counseling.
A student in the class asked Boyce if the Springfield Marriage and Family institute counseled gay couples, and Boyce told the class he does not give gay couples relationship counseling because of his religious beliefs, according to the lawsuit.
About a week later, Cash's internship coordinator at MSU asked to meet with him face-to-face, the lawsuit says.
Cash told his internship coordinator, Kristi Perryman, that he would also not counsel gay couples, according to the lawsuit, and Perryman told Cash that went against the American Counseling Association's code of ethics.
The lawsuit says Perryman told Cash he was not allowed to continue his internship at the Springfield Marriage and Family institute because of "ethical concerns."
The lawsuit says Cash was then placed on a remediation plan and told that his internship hours at the Springfield Marriage and Family Institute would not count.
In November 2014, the lawsuit says, Cash was removed from the master's program. The lawsuit says he had a 3.81 GPA.
The lawsuit says Cash was "targeted and punished for expressing his Christian worldview."
MSU spokeswoman Suzanne Shaw said "the university strictly prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion or any other protected class."
Shaw said she could not comment on the specifics of pending litigation. She said as of Wednesday afternoon school officials had not received the lawsuit.
Cash is being represented by Chicago-based attorney Thomas Olp with the Thomas More Society, a group that represents people on pro-life and religious freedom issues.
Olp told the News-Leader that Cash is not seeking a specific dollar amount in the lawsuit. Olp said Cash wants to be re-admitted to the master's program at MSU so he can obtain his degree.
The defendants in the case are the MSU Board of Governors members, MSU President Clif Smart, and three faculty members — Perryman, Tamara Arthaud and Angela Anderson.