In one week, the US Supreme Court endangered the well-being and lives of LGBTQ individuals and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in this country. The court issued decisions that gutted protections for BIPOC individuals against racist structures in colleges and universities, terminated debt alleviation for students during an education affordability crisis, and created a precedent for legal discrimination against LGBTQ people. Point Foundation is appalled by the court’s recent actions.
As an organization seeking to create equity through access to higher education for LGBTQ individuals, the Point community is directly targeted by these decisions.
Ending Affirmative Action
Decades ago, colleges began considering race as one factor among many in the admissions process to help remediate past discrimination, including the effects of slavery. The Supreme Court upended 40 years of legal precedent by ending affirmative action for college admissions.
88% of Point’s current scholars are BIPOC, and they continue to face barriers to education from kindergarten through college. For example, in states like California that have already banned race-conscious admissions policies, there has been a growing gap between the percentage of Black, Hispanic, and Native American high school graduates compared to the percentage of those students enrolled in large public universities.
“We will continue our efforts to address and eliminate racial bias in our own scholarship programs and mitigate historic inequities through our BIPOC Scholars program,” said Point Foundation Executive Director and CEO Jorge Valencia. “We applaud the efforts of colleges and universities across the country who will carry on their efforts to recruit and admit racially diverse classes.”
Ending Debt Alleviation Effort
The Supreme Court’s decision to deny the White House’s plan for national student debt alleviation impedes students’ ability to access higher education without assuming crushing amounts of debt.
Student debt is an LGBTQ issue. LGBTQ students disproportionately incur greater debt than their straight, cisgender peers. When those students are also members of BIPOC communities, the rate of debt assumed is even higher.
41% of Point scholarship applicants say that the cost of college or universities made them delay their higher education. Absent any measures to alleviate the weight of debt and future initiatives geared towards rendering college education more affordable, prospective students may be compelled to postpone their academic endeavors, inevitably hampering their ability to compete in the job market and fully pursue their passions.
Attacking LGBTQ Protections
As the nation’s largest LGBTQ scholarship fund, the court’s decision to protect discrimination against LGBTQ individuals undermines the rights and safety of our diverse community. Point reaffirms its commitment to supporting and empowering LGBTQ students in the face of this regressive ruling.
By sanctioning such discrimination, the court has turned back the clock on the progress made in ensuring equal treatment and protection for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Point will work even harder to ensure that LGBTQ people can live, study, and thrive in a society free from discrimination, prejudice, and hate.
