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Press Release, January 7, 2005

For Immediate Release — January 11, 2005

High School Honor Student Expelled from Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, TX, for Being Gay

The Point Foundation Awards Academic Honorarium to Help with College Tuition

(Chicago, IL) — The Point Foundation, the first national foundation to support academic achievement in higher education among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, has awarded an academic honorarium to James Barnett, an 18-year old honor student who was recently expelled from Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas when school administrators discovered he was gay. The amount of the award will be determined after a financial review in the Spring, as the Point Foundation does with all other scholars.

“We are pleased to present this honorarium to James, an outstanding student turned away simply because of his sexual orientation,” said Vance Lancaster, executive director of the Point Foundation. “This is a sadly common and very real example of why Point Foundation scholarships are necessary. It is at times like these that we feel compelled to go beyond our standard scholarship process and provide financial and emotional support to students in crisis situations. There are hundreds of high-achieving students like James who need assistance in overcoming homophobia at home or in our schools and need support in transitioning to college life, where they can reach for their goals and dreams.”

“The Point Foundation is honored to be in the position to bring this support to James,” Lancaster continued. “As the Point Foundation grows, we hope to create a world where students are not marginalized or turned away because of their sexual orientation or gender identity—ever,” concluded Lancaster.

About The Point Foundation

The Point Foundation is the first and only nationwide LGBT scholarship organization that focuses exclusively on granting assistance to undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students of distinction. Point Scholars are chosen for their demonstrated leadership, scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, involvement in the LGBT community and financial or emotional need. For more information, visit www.ThePointFoundation.org.

Link to article on James Barnett by Point Scholar Matthew Cardinale

http://www.opednews.com/blogMatthewCardinale.htm

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