LGBTQ students reflect on sororities

Following sorority recruitment, LGBTQ students have mixed views regarding their place in Panhellenic sororities. These students feel generally accepted by the organizations as a whole but wonder if all individual sorority members feel the same way.

Freshman Aneeka Ratnayake, a new member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority (Theta), felt that the rush process was nerve-racking because of its perceived emphasis on being normal.

“I think that there definitely is an overall pressure to conform to the sororities’ values during rush, yet these values are so vaguely stated. I think this creates a certain pressure to be viewed as of a ‘normalized’ sexual orientation and gender identity. Hence, as a part of the LGBTQ community I did feel uneasy about the process,” Ratnayake wrote in an email to The News-Letter.

According to freshman Hannah Cowley, a new sorority member who declined to name her organization, sororities made an effort to get to know all of the potential new members during the rush process.

“There was great emphasis on every girl giving every sorority a chance and likewise, every sorority giving every girl a chance,” Cowley wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “The Rho Gammas, the recruitment leaders, continually told us that we would find where we fit best. It was also stressed that if you didn’t find a home in Greek Life that this was not the end of the world; Hopkins is a big place and there is truly something for everybody here. You don’t have to go Greek to find a place to belong.”

Sophomore Amanda Spohrer, a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority (Pi Phi) and the Diverse Sexuality and Gender Alliance (DSAGA), acknowledged that many LGBTQ students feel nervous about going through recruitment, but she believes that their anxiety may be misguided.

“I think that a lot of women, regardless of whether or not they identify as LGBTQ, are extremely nervous about going through recruitment,” Spohrer wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “However, from an LGBTQ standpoint, I think there is more of a fear or anxiety because of the misrepresentation of Greek life in the media. I think that a lot of people assume that all Greek life is exactly like what they see in TV shows and movies, and honestly so much of that is false.”

Demere Woolway, the director of LGBTQ Life, believes that many LGBTQ students shy away from Greek life because they don’t think they will feel comfortable in sorority and fraternity environments.

“Any gendered environment that has different expectations for women and men can be uncomfortable for LGBTQ students,” Woolway wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “Much of sorority/fraternity social life is built around heteronormative events, which is unlikely to make LGBTQ students feel welcome. For example, many people who have same-sex partners worry that they will not be able to bring their partners to date events and similar social functions... All of this adds up to the likelihood that LGBTQ individuals will probably decide that they do not want to participate in sororities and fraternities.”

Spohrer, on the other hand, does not feel that sororities are unwelcoming environments for LGBTQ members.

“I would want girls to know about my involvement in both DSAGA and Pi Phi,” Spohrer said. “I would want them to know that they shouldn’t be afraid about being accepted for who they are because all of the people I have met through Greek Life are some of the most open and welcoming people I’ve ever met.”

Woolway wrote that acceptance in the Greek life community has especially been an issue for transgender students nationwide.

“At times, transgender students have been excluded from participating in sororities and fraternities based on their sex assigned at birth,” Woolway wrote. “I don’t know of any fraternity or sorority at Hopkins where that has been a concern. It has been an issue at other schools. However, the Department of Education has recently said that Title IX protects transgender people who wish to be involved in campus activities, so hopefully, it will not be an issue going forward.”

Related to the issue of whether LGBTQ members of Greek Life feel accepted in their respective organizations is the problem of addressing the reactions of LGBTQ students who happen to be rejected by sororities or fraternities.

Sophomore Rebecca Rivera, a member of Theta and DSAGA, believes that the potential for students to feel rejected based on their LGBTQ status is a concern.

“That’s always going to be a possibility, just because it’s a very common narrative within the LGBT community [for someone] to be rejected based on their sexuality or their gender identity,” Rivera said. “And so, no matter what, if someone does feel rejected, they might feel that it could be because of their sexuality. [They could also feel reject based on their LGBTQ status] because of their preconceived notions of sororities and their traditional kind of views, so it’s always a possibility. And it might actually be true depending on the sorority or [it might] not.”

Woolway acknowledged that sororities or fraternities might unintentionally show prejudice toward members of the LGBTQ community.

“Even though members of the organization may not believe they are being discriminatory, research on implicit bias suggests that discrimination can happen on unconscious levels,” Woolway wrote.

Rivera, however, said that she does believe sorority sisters would be supportive of a sister who came out.

“I’ve never heard of an issue with coming out and being queer within a sorority, so I would assume [sisters would be supportive],” Rivera said. “I don’t speak for any of the sororities. [My opinion] is just based on what I’ve experienced and what I’ve seen.”

Spohrer also believes that sorority sisters would be supportive in that situation.

“I can’t imagine for a minute that any of my sisters would be anything less than supportive and happy for their fellow sister,” Spohrer wrote. “This is one of the most wonderful things about being involved in Greek life. Your sisters really are always there for you, no matter what you need. I think that if a sister were to come out, everyone would be happy and proud that she was able to share that part of herself with everyone.”

Ratnayake is less optimistic, and thinks that some sisters might subtly demonstrate prejudice.

“I do not think that there would be direct negative or hurtful comments,” Ratnayake wrote. “However, there’s an extent to which I believe there are subtle ways in which people can be made to feel alienated due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity without openly showing the bigotry of the individuals perpetrating these actions. I feel that until society ceases to normalize one particular sexual orientation and gender identity, there will always be this underlying tension.”

Cowley agreed that tension would probably exist, but she believes that most sorority members would be supportive if one of their sisters came out.

“If a sister revealed that they identified as LGBTQ post-recruitment, I would hope that they would find the support they needed within their chapter,” Cowley worte. “Not everybody will find favor in how one identifies — that’s just a fact of life at the current time. However, I firmly believe that the majority of sisters would be able to put aside personal opinions about LGBTQ life and policy and support their fellow sister for whom they [are], a fellow member of an organization founded on the basis of love and camaraderie. Beyond simply being a member of the sorority, I believe that many, if not all sisters, would be able to respect and support an LGBTQ identifying person for simply being a human deserving love and acceptance. I know I would.”