Sorority in TX Opens Up Rush To Transgender Student

[ASAlamb]

http://www.queerty.com/trinity-unive...#ixzz15feL6N1b

Trinity University's Zeta Chi sorority in Texas boasts 51 female members, according to the school's website. Its 52nd might make history: A trans student has been offered the chance to rush.
In an email to Trinity's Greek Council members, dean of students David M. Tuttle writes about Kwame, a transgender student who's been invited to "try out" for the all-girls sorority.

Dear Greek Council Leaders,
The Zeta Chi sorority has determined that it would welcome a male student, who self-identifies as transgender, to rush their organization. The group — and the student, Kwame — are clear that he may or may not be extended a bid offer. Fraternities and sororities consider all dimensions of potential members and have every right to consider exceptions to their single-sex status. This student's overall identity, character, and personality – which includes being transgender – will be considered in the selection process. All students are invited into fraternities and sororities based on their wholeness as people. It will work the same in this situation. The University has watched this situation with interest and stayed out of it, other than to offer counsel and support through CCI staff members. Those staff members have researched how this is handled elsewhere and implications for Trinity and its students and groups. We would have supported any decision by Zeta Chi. Under the leadership of President Sarah, the group has undergone thoughtful consideration of the group's values, the feelings of its members, and the opinions of alumni. As with last year's diploma debate, the students learn from the educational process of weighing information and reaching well-considered and articulated decisions. Such issues aren't theoretical, but also personal and emotional. What terrific preparation for life after college!
Zeta Chi has made its identity distinctive for embracing all students, regardless of sexual identity. This may be why this is the first group to grapple with these complex issues related to transgender identity. In my experience, our students and fraternities and sororities have a strong record of welcoming students of different backgrounds. I urge all Greek organizations to follow the lead of Zeta Chi in discussing such issues. I hope all members of fraternities and sororities join the administration in supporting the women of Zeta Chi and all students of less common backgrounds.
(Kwame and Sarah have reviewed and approved this message.)

If Kwame approved the message, then I assume she does not mind being identified as a "male student," though those pronouns can always be tricky for the unfamiliar. But consider how remarkable this move is: With the exception of some co-ed groups, Greek organizations on college campuses are often specifically separated by the sexes, making gender roles the very first (and oft unacknowledged) qualifier when a student decides to join Greek life. But here we have a trans student whose gender identity means she identifies with the women in sororities, and they've admirably offered an invitation to rush. Moreover, it was an opportunity for the sorority to have an open dialogue about gender identity and what it means to be a woman.


This doesn't mean Kwame is in; Zeta Chi has to offer her a bid for that to happen. But in the same month we saw Kye Allums becomes NCAA D-1 basketball's first trans man to take the court (on a women's basketball team), my heart is just a little bit warmer after so many weeks of endless queer teen tragedy.

Without diving head first into a gender-politics can of worms, thoughts on this?


I think founders of older orgs couldn't have ever foreseen a circumstance like this, and its interesting to see how this group (and future groups) will handle this.

[knight_shadow]

Kudos to them for being progressive.

ETA: I think the fact that this is happening in San Antonio (as opposed to Dallas, Houston, or Austin) is another "WOW" factor for me.

[DrPhil]

My reaction to this depends on the dynamics of the campus and the specifics of this transgendered student. There are different stages of being transgendered. The very fact that they said they welcome a "male student who identifies as transgendered" lets me know that they haven't figured this out yet. I always recommend holding off on things like this until the student knows what she or he is doing; the organization and chapter know what they're doing; and the school knows what it's doing. The exploratory stage is womp womp and isn't automatically progressive just because it is exploratory.

I don't think Kwame (blah name) will be extended a bid. If she is then it will most likely be to prove a point. No, sisterhood does not conquer all. It would conquer all if she was a she prior to coming to college and wasn't introduced as a "male student who identifies as transgendered." Blah.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

The very fact that they said they welcome a "male student who identifies as transgendered" lets me know that they haven't figured this out yet.

Yep. If they had, they would just say "she."

Just FYI, all the fraternities (except for a Pi Kappa Alpha chapter) and sororities at the university are locals.

[BraveMaroon]

I would assume that at 18, even if he's self-identified as female, there may not have been a lot he could do from a physiological standpoint to prepare for life as a woman.

I would think that unless his parents were on board years earlier, and they found a doctor who agreed, that he would probably be just now be at the age where he could start making medical steps to realizing his goal.

But everything I know about Transgender I learned on 20/20. So, there's that.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Yep. If they had, they would just say "she."

Just FYI, all the fraternities (except for a Pi Kappa Alpha chapter) and sororities at the university are locals.

Perhaps the local context can make the difference. Either way, she will probably always be known as the "male student who identifies as transgendered."

[XAntoftheSkyX]

My take on it is that Kwame is male but identifying as trans (read:not female) so he is in the process of transitioning. Whether that is through hormone therapy, surgery, or anything else, he's at least making steps. One of my best friends is trans, and he said the surgery to remove his breasts cost an absurd amount of money. Things like that may be preventing Kwame from transitioning from M to F.

Also, there are different levels that people are okay with transitioning. Some want the hormone therapy, some want everything but the surgery to change their undercarriage, and some want the works.

[EE-BO]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Kudos to them for being progressive.

ETA: I think the fact that this is happening in San Antonio (as opposed to Dallas, Houston, or Austin) is another "WOW" factor for me.

If I were told this story and asked to guess the city, I would have gone with Houston or Austin for sure. There are so many GLOs at U. Texas Austin, I would think this scenario quite plausible today.

Anyone have any idea why this has been announced at this time? Once a bid is extended or initiation has been conducted, I could see the rationale- but am I alone in thinking it unusual that the story is about someone being welcomed/invited to enter the rush process?

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by EE-BO

Anyone have any idea why this has been announced at this time? Once a bid is extended or initiation has been conducted, I could see the rationale- but am I alone in thinking it unusual that the story is about someone being welcomed/invited to enter the rush process?

It isn't unusual. It is a big deal for a KNOWN transgendered student to even be allowed to rush.

[pixell]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

It isn't unusual. It is a big deal for a KNOWN transgendered student to even be allowed to rush.

If this had been my school, I think it would have dominated conversations for a while.

I've never read the Green Book, but if this were a school with NPC groups rather than locals would it even be possible for this situation to happen?

[DPsiDGirl]

this is excellent!!

[angels&angles]

I feel the "male student" etc etc is mostly for clarity. Since this is an explanation letter, it kind of makes sense even if it's not technically correct.

I believe transgender people use the pronoun of their preferred gender regardless of their "stage" of transition - that is, regardless of genitalia. Some retain their birth genitalia forever, but will still identify as their preferred and not birth gender.

This a first step. We'll see what happens, but it's definitely interesting that it's happening at all, and makes sense it would be happening with a local rather than national. A pro, I suppose, for locals - that they can make these decisions without HQ (possibly older, possibly traditionalist, possibly letter-not-spirit rule keepers) input

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by pixell

If this had been my school, I think it would have dominated conversations for a while.

I've never read the Green Book, but if this were a school with NPC groups rather than locals would it even be possible for this situation to happen?

I don't believe the Green Book takes a stance on the issue, and if it took an anti-transgender stance I'd toss it out anyway.

Originally Posted by angels&angles

I feel the "male student" etc etc is mostly for clarity. Since this is an explanation letter, it kind of makes sense even if it's not technically correct.

I believe transgender people use the pronoun of their preferred gender regardless of their "stage" of transition - that is, regardless of genitalia. Some retain their birth genitalia forever, but will still identify as their preferred and not birth gender.

This a first step. We'll see what happens, but it's definitely interesting that it's happening at all, and makes sense it would be happening with a local rather than national. A pro, I suppose, for locals - that they can make these decisions without HQ (possibly older, possibly traditionalist, possibly letter-not-spirit rule keepers) input

I twinge whenever I see male and he referring to a female who is transgendered. It's not particularly clarifying when all it does is emphasize the "HE" part and minimize or trivialize the SHE.

I don't really see a good reason why transgendered individuals should not be allowed to join a GLO appropriate to their gender.

[Barbie's_Rush]

I know it may be just semantics because of the way it's written, but I can't help but wonder how allowing someone who "identifies" as transgendered into an organization that previously had been protected under Title IX would work.

What would be the legal measure of whether or not someone could qualify/be considered for a single sex organization? Would simply saying you identify as a female although you were born a male do it? Would you have to have taken some sort of steps towards living as a female even if surgery is long away or not considered?

I'm not looking at discussing the gender identity issues etc., just the purely legal ones. If you allow a biological male into a sorority (without anything beyond their statement that they identify as transgendered) does that not open the door to allowing a biological male into other groups protected by Title IX such as a female sports team? Let's say Joe's a good tennis player but not good enough to make the men's team or get a scholarship. But thanks to a powerful serve and backhand, he could easily defeat most women players. Could Joe simply say he always identified as a woman and compete on the women's team?

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Barbie's_Rush

I know it may be just semantics because of the way it's written, but I can't help but wonder how allowing someone who "identifies" as transgendered into an organization that previously had been protected under Title IX would work.

What would be the legal measure of whether or not someone could qualify/be considered for a single sex organization? Would simply saying you identify as a female although you were born a male do it? Would you have to have taken some sort of steps towards living as a female even if surgery is long away or not considered?

I'm not looking at discussing the gender identity issues etc., just the purely legal ones. If you allow a biological male into a sorority does that not open the door to allowing a biological male into other groups protected by Title IX such as a female sports team? Let's say Joe's a good tennis player but not good enough to make the men's team or get a scholarship. But thanks to a powerful serve and backhand, he could easily defeat most women players. Could Joe simply say he always identified as a woman and compete on the women's team?

Those issues are debated within sports organizations. And studies have shown that transgender women can compete on women's teams with as little as a year of hormone replacement therapy and lose all advantage from the testosterone in their systems. And that's purely from the perspective of counteracting biological advantages.

However, assuming that there are mythical people who want to live as the other gender in order to play sports is pretty offensive. It's a bit like saying that someone might just be pretending to be gay so they can have more sex. Or pretend to be black just to get a scholarship. Might one asshole do this? Maybe. Is it actually a reasonable concern? No. And it isn't a rational argument against prohibiting transgendered individuals from participating with their identified gender.

Transgender women are women. Transgender men are men. Title IX status should not be affected by it and as Kye Allums has just started playing Division I basketball, I think that it's not a concern at all. He's a male player on the women's team. NCAA rules prohibit typical steps in transitioning. Because of when he 'came out' his status is pretty much the same. Had he done so before college, who knows.