[20187] in APO-L
Re: "Gay Frat"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Sharon Zohar)
Fri Feb 12 07:56:58 1999
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 07:49:30 -0500
Reply-To: sharon_zohar@CSI.COM
From: Sharon Zohar <sharon_zohar@CSI.COM>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
>It is possible that a chaoter that is labelled as "gay" might not have a
>culture welcoming to some straight members of the university >community.
APO acts as a "safe harbor" for some people, but they >need to remember that
in creating a safe harbor for themselves they >can't force other groups out
of the same organization.
What I suspect may be unstated here is that some straight people feel
threatened when a social group might not be predominantly straight. If that
is the case, my response is: Too bad. I really despise the myth that gays
(using the term inclusively) work to recruit straights. It doesn't happen -
gays work to open closed minds to the rights of gays to live and love
safely, and to express themselves in public forums the same way that
heterosexuals do. If straight people have a problem with that, they need to
get over it. This fraternity is no place for bias or prejudice. For those
who have been through our brotherhood initiation ritual, I will allude to a
particularly relevant section regarding what is NOT allowed in our midst -
need I say more??
>In my chapter, there are some people who act as if we shouldn't >allow in
people who'd fit in as a traditional Greek...there has been >some pretty
open hostility against people, especially girls, who plan >on rushing a
social Greek house, or even act like they might.
That's a different problem. That's another form of lack of diversity. If a
prospective or pledge or brother knows that a chapter is a safe space to be
different, and chooses to participate in activities outside the chapter that
might be construed as "normal," then we should encourage that sort of
bridging, because that only does us good as a fraternity. If a female
brother of an A Phi O chapter that is known for being a little "weird"
pledges a traditional sorority, that is likely to lead to the chapter having
a better relationship with that sorority, and possibly to other Greek
organizations on that campus. Bridging is a good thing, and we should
encourage and embrace it.
By the way, I've received some questions about my earlier use of the term
GLBTQ. Translation: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer. I mean
use of these terms for self-labelling only.
Again with my disclaimer: The opinions I am expressing here are mine and
mine alone, and have no official association with the fraternity.
Sharon Zohar
Section 96 Staff
"What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?" - Elvis Costello
