We’ve all been told all our lives there are two kinds of people: men and women.
Right?
Boy's room and girl's room.
Most of us have never had anxiety filling out a survey when prompted about what our is our gender identity.
Not until perhaps progressive TV shows and movies did the thought of the terrible T word come into existence for us. This T-word is transgender. Transgender can mean so many things, yet can be so marginalized that it means nothing to many people.
While we could lament on the numerous issues facing those that identify as transgender, a unique issue has come up from a decision from a national fraternity after a summit this summer.
A truly ground-breaking decision by the 200-year-old social fraternity, Chi Phi, has opened the door for more notable and populous social greek-lettered organizations to take a stance on this issue of transgender folk. In a statement released on their social media accounts, representatives for the fraternity said:
”One change is never a stopping point, and we hope this opens the door to further discussion about inclusivity, particularly for transgender men who want to join us in this fraternity.”
I can’t help but wonder what my fraternity would have said if I had a V instead of a P down there. Perhaps the same thing that my fellow Odyssey Creator Ryan Bishop’s said. Interestingly, Bishop sought admittance to the very fraternity that made news about their decision.
We live in a vastly different world that the folks starting greek-lettered organizations lived in. Some of these organizations are over 150 years old, and believe it or not, the idea of transgender was not something often discussed and debated at the time.
When we talk about allowing admittance into a group, we are stepping up from the concept of a club. While almost anyone can seek to become a member, what makes gender so crucial to identity as being part of a fraternity versus a sorority.
Who knows? Perhaps the intention of bonding with biologically similar individuals, the hope to remove distractions in pursuit of common goals such as philanthropies and/or social/team building events?
There is a law that supports the idea of separate groups for separate genders. The rules that govern this principle are systemic, coming from the Educational Amendment of 1972. Better known as Title IX and a staple in nearly every public higher educational institution, Title IX makes it illegal for a school to discriminate on the basis of sex if the school is receiving federal funds.
The caveat, however, is that fraternities and sororities are exempt as single-sex groups.
So what is it that makes a fraternity or sorority different than a club or organization, and thus able to have the exemption? Why do we continue to have an institution that is so rooted in traditional and binary principles? You, in theory, can get the same rewards from a club or a team on a college campus.
If we can agree that fraternities and sororities are traditional institutions, does this mean that we can bend and conform them to present day like we’ve done for another traditional institution?
What, if any, are our solutions to this?
The world isn’t going to stop changing. People are not going to stop sharing and expressing their identity. The world is changing so fast, I find it difficult to write this article without writing worrying If I'm using the right vocabulary when talking about the LGBT community.
What if we had transgender fraority (fraternity mixed with sorority), a term I was able to find, sparingly used on the interest. Yes, this might alienate the transgender and transsexual population, and perhaps remove the aspects of these institutions that individuals sought in the first place, but it’s an option.
In fact, the title of this piece might be a bit misleading. There are, in fact, some social greek-lettered organizations that celebrate those in the LGBT community.
"Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity, for example, recently passed a nondiscrimination policy and recommended clarifying membership terms for the fraternity. The policy now states, 'Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. Delta Tau Delta is open to all men of superior character including transgender males.'"
So maybe I don't have a conclusion or point to this article. Can the institution of social clubs that foster a bond through tools such as exclusivity and subtle elitism coexist in a world that is rapidly leaning towards inclusion?
Does a "frat" do more harm than good for the sense of inclusion?
Well, yes. And no.
Can you foster a sense of belonging without only selecting few from the many?
While I can't offer much of a solution, It is my belief that every student has a place. Whether that is in a social organization, a club, a sports team, a collected group of like-minded individuals, something she or he creates his or herself maybe. For student success and happiness, everyone has that one place where they belong.
Does this mean that transgender folks have the right to be in a greek-lettered organization that reflects the identity they share with others?
Is tradition and adherence to forefathers (and foremothers) of a group outweigh modern beliefs?
I can't say, but It looks like some organizations are deciding for themselves.
