A Tale Of Two Frats

You can tell a lot about an organization by who they invite into their organizations.

Gay and Greek: LGBTQ+ students make homes in fraternities and sororities
The Daily Tar Heels
By Suzanne Blake
February 18, 2019

Sarah always pictured herself in Greek life. But this year, after rushing, the UNC sophomore was still keeping one element of her identity from her Panhellenic sorority Pi Beta Phi: she’s bisexual.

Sarah, who asked to be identified by a different name to avoid being outed to her parents, did not often see the LGBTQ+ community associated with college Greek life. During rush, she knew Pi Beta Phi had an openly out member.

In 2016, the sorority changed their national bylaws to accept transgender women in an effort of inclusivity.
[…]
Sarah joins a larger group of LGBTQ+ people who have broken stereotypes and made homes in social fraternities and sororities on college campuses.

And then there is…

In a first, a transgender person is campus president of this Jewish sorority
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
By Josefin Dolsten
January 8, 2019

(JTA) — In December, the Jewish sorority at the University of Cincinnati elected a new president. The new leader was a founding member of the campus group who was highly involved in Jewish life at the university.

But the 21-year-old’s election was surprising in at least one way: For the first time, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, or SAEPi, would be led by someone not identifying as a woman.

About a year earlier, Elliot Draznin came out to the sorority sisters as nonbinary, identifying neither as a man or woman. Draznin asked to be referred to using “they” as a singular pronoun instead of “she.”

But not everyone is signing kumbaya.

Sorority Bans Transgender Women in “Diversity Statement”
Zeta Phi Beta doesn't want trans women joining, but says it "values all people."
NewNowNext
By Jeff Taylor
April 26, 2019

Zeta Phi Beta, a sorority with more than 100,000 members and over 800 chapters internationally, has banned transgender women as part of its “diversity statement.”

An unnamed source sent the statement to The Washington Blade, which was accepted by the International Executive Board on January 12. It reportedly states “an individual must be a cisgender woman” to be a member. It also says the sorority “values all people, regardless of race, age, gender, gender expression, ability, disability, creed, religion, or walk of life.”

The publication says the sorority did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The sorority was founded in 1920, at Howard University, to “directly affect positive change, chart a course of action for the 1920s and beyond, raise consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achievement, and foster a greater sense of unity among its members.”

Well I guess the “directly affect positive change” didn’t take hold, instead bias against us took hold.