In recent years, the issue of transender people trying to join Greek Life organizations that align with their gender identity instead of their biological sex has increased. In one case, a biological male joined a sorority at the University of Wyoming and made women in the organization feel uncomfortable and silenced by their school, which Townhall covered.
This week, reports broke that a fraternity was working to ban transgender people from joining. Predictably, left-wing activists flipped out over this.
Delegates of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the oldest collegiate fraternity founded for African American male students, voted to pass a proposed bylaw to prohibit so-called “transgender” people from joining. The proposal outlined that membership can only be extended to someone born male “who remains and continually identifies as male.”
According to The Hill, this decision was first revealed by pro-LGBTQ+ organization GLAAD. GLAAD clarified that this is the second African American fraternity to have a “trans ban” on the books.
The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), a civil rights organization focused on black LGBTQ+ Americans, came out against this.
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“These proposals starkly contradict the historical commitment to equality, justice, and the advancement of all Black people,” David Johns, NBJC CEO and executive director, said.
“By seeking to exclude transgender people, these fraternities are turning their backs on the very principles of brotherhood and inclusivity that they were founded upon and are a betrayal of the legacy of activism and leadership that these organizations have upheld for over a century,” Johns added. “Such policies and exclusionary practices perpetuate harmful stereotypes and further marginalize individuals who already face significant barriers and discrimination in society, and send a dangerous message that it is acceptable to ostracize and discriminate against individuals based on their gender identity.”
“These politics and practices are tools of white supremacy and the white racial actors who elect to do their bidding. Our transgender siblings deserve the same respect, dignity, and opportunities as non-trans members of our community,” he concluded.
GLAAD reported that there was a clear “generational and moral split” among leadership. Older, more traditional members voted in favor of the bylaw. Younger and more progressive members voted against it.
“If we allow certain discriminations, we have to allow for all of them,” Matthew Shaw, assistant professor of law at Vanderbilt Law School and assistant professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt Peabody College, told GLAAD. Shaw is a lifetime Alpha member.
“If Alpha then adopts the logic that White Citizens’ Councils had against Black people desegregating schools in the 1950s and ’60, what’s to say that you couldn’t use that logic against Black people in 2024?” he said.
A former chapter leader based in Washington, D.C. said, ““I’m always nervous when there’s a small percentage of people in the world, and then you’re making overarching and broad policies about them.”
“To me, frankly, you’re no better than white supremacists, and that’s just the reality of it,” he added.
