A small Christian high school in Wichita, Kansas is facing tremendous national criticism and mockery because of a policy which reserves the right to expel any student — or reject the application of any prospective student — if the kid turns out to have any gay relatives.
The policy suggests that societal uncertainty about marriage and sexuality requires that all family members agree with — and continue to agree with — the school’s stance on marriage.
“Given the debate and confusion in our society about marriage and human sexuality it is vital that Trinity families agree with and support the school’s traditional, Christian understanding of those issues,” the policy reads, according to Wichita NBC affiliate KSN-TV.
“Therefore, when the atmosphere or conduct within a particular home is counter to the school’s understanding of a biblical lifestyle, including the practice or promotion of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) lifestyle or alternative gender identity, the school should have the right, in its sole discretion, to deny the admission of an applicant or discontinue enrollment of a current student.”
Earlier this week, The Advocate, a magazine for gay people, announced that the alumni who had leaked Trinity Academy’s policy against gay relatives have since presented themselves publicly. (They had remained anonymous before.)
The alums who publicized the policy include 2013 graduate Morgan Faulkner, a former Trinity Academy senior class president.
“We leaked this document in order to raise awareness about Trinity’s policies to prospective students and parents who are on the fence about sending their children to Trinity for their academics, and ultimately for the greater good,” Faulkner told The Advocate.
The Facebook page which appears to belong to Faulkner features a stunningly large array of likes including LGBT News, LGBTQ Nation and the LGBT Foundation. There’s also The Godless and Irreligious, the Student Secular Alliance, the National Abortion Federation, Planned Parenthood and, of course, Sedgwick County For Bernie Sanders. Faulkner also appears to be a big fan of Batman and Star Wars.
Meanwhile, officials at the $10,500-per-year private school have not backed down from the policy, but they are explaining its poorly-worded nature.
“Trinity Academy holds biblical views on human sexuality and gay marriage and we want prospective families to understand that,” officials explains in a statement sent to KSN-TV. “We feel that this is only fair given the disagreement and discord in our society over such issues. It is then up to the family as to whether they feel they can partner with Trinity and support these biblical Christian views.”
School officials said they have never expelled students because they have gay — or cross-dressing — relatives. As for accepting a gay student, officials gave a firm answer of maybe.
“Trinity would not and has not denied admission to a student simply because they have a sibling who is gay,” the statement continued. “Neither would we necessarily deny admission to a student with same sex attraction. We do not condone sexual activity of any kind for our students whether heterosexual or homosexual.”
The website for Trinity Academy has been in “maintenance mode” in recent days.
A cached version of the school’s admissions page describes Trinity as a provider of “a Christ-centered, college-preparatory education for students committed to spiritual growth and academic excellence.”
The Wayback Machine’s archived capture of the school’s website from earlier this year shows that the school advertises that standardized test scores are higher than the national average, and that “well over 50% of the student body is involved in band, vocal music, and theatre.”
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