National Gay Greek Survey Launches Feb. 13
For Immediate Release
Contact: Shane L. Windmeyer
Lambda 10 Project
for GLBT Fraternity & Sorority Issues
(704) 277-6710
shane@...
Invisible No More: LGBT Fraternity & Sorority Members Asked to Share
Openly Panel to study real-life experiences of LGBT students
nationwide
Survey can be taken online at
www.gaygreek.org starting February 13,
2006
Rushed openly gay and didn't get in? The Lambda 10 Project
(
http://www.gaygreek.org) wants to hear about it. Came out to
Fraternity brothers or sorority sisters and received acceptance?
Spill the
details.
The good, the bad and the "oh, no, they didn't!" all have a place in
the organization's upcoming research project.
Why a research project? Because lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender
(LGBT) fraternity and sorority members, both active and alumni, have
Long been invisible. The Lambda 10 Project's national study will
explore the LGBT experience within fraternities and sororities with
the goal of
developing educational resources and advancing further research that
will assist fraternities and sororities in creating safer, more
inclusive
environments for their LGBT brothers and sisters.
"We know fraternity and sorority life for LGBT students is
dramatically
different today than it was ten years ago," said Lambda 10 Project
co-founder and coordinator Shane Windmeyer, a national speaker who
has edited three popular gay books about life in college
fraternities and
sororities. "But what exactly has changed, and what problems remain?
Those are the questions we need answered."
To get answers, the Lambda 10 Project today issued an official call
for
participation in the upcoming study. The organization seeks
undergraduate and alumni fraternity and sorority members who happen
to be LGBT, along with LGBT students who have some sort of
experience, positive or negative, with a fraternity or sorority. The
assessment goes live on February 13, 2006 and will be available to
take online for one month. All responses will be kept confidential
and anonymous. Anyone who fits the research criteria may take the
assessment; complete information can be found at
http://www.gaygreek.org.
Led by Pennsylvania State University's Sue Rankin, a scholar and
researcher on LGBT experiences in the campus environment, the
survey, which coincides with the Lambda 10 Project's tenth
anniversary, is the first-ever formal study of its kind and has been
reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board at
Pennsylvania State University. The results will be compared to those
of the informal assessment "A Glimpse at the Invisible Membership:
A national survey of Lesbigay Greeks," conducted by Douglas N. Case,
a
longtime fraternity and sorority professional. Case's study,
published
in 1995, provided the first comprehensive view of sexual orientation
issues within college fraternities and sororities.
"This study will look back on the issues Case covered a decade ago,
with additional questions to gather new data that will help us to
better
lead educational efforts for men and women in fraternities and
sororities," Rankin explained. "The quantifiable, reliable data we
gather will serve as a starting point for ongoing education,
policymaking and research efforts. Our shared vision is that one
day, there will be no invisible LGBT members of the college
fraternity or sorority. Each of us will have a welcome place among
the brotherhood or sisterhood."
About the Panel Researchers from across the country have compiled
the
Lambda 10 Project study. All are former or current faculty or staff
members at large universities and have professional experience in
higher
education with LGBT and, or Fraternity/Sorority Life issues. Along
with Rankin, the team includes Case at San Diego State University;
Windmeyer; Grahaeme
A.
Hesp at Florida State University; Chuck Eberly at Eastern Illinois
University; George Miller of Delta Sigma Phi National Fraternity;
and
Billy
Molasso at Northern Illinois University.
About the Lambda 10 Project
Since 1995, the Lambda 10 Project has served as a clearinghouse for
educational resources and materials related to sexual orientation
and
gender identity and expression in the college fraternity and
sorority
experience. The organization was founded by Pamela W. Freeman and
Shane L. Windmeyer, one of the nation's foremost educators and
speakers on issues of sexual orientation and fraternity and sorority
life.
PRESS INQUIRIES & MEDIA OPPS: To inquire about interviews or other
media opportunities, please contact Shane L. Windmeyer with the
Lambda 10 Project by calling (704) 277-6710 or shane@....
Graphics: A PDF flyer can be downloaded at:
http://www.gaygreek.org/gaygreek/Gay...yer_2sheet.pdf
MORE INFORMATION: Details about the "Experiences of LGBT Fraternity
& Sorority Members" assessment can be found online at
www.gaygreek.org along with the findings of the 1995 informal
assessment titled "A Glimpse at the Invisible Membership: A national
survey of Lesbigay Greeks," conducted by Douglas N. Case.
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