LGBTQIA+ Students’ Experience in OU Greek Life
This summer many watched the rise and fall of #rushtok on the social media platform TikTok. The content consisted of incoming and returning college students sharing their experiences with fraternity and sorority recruitment. This trend highlighted the same type of students succeeding in Greek life, cis and straight. While many members of the LGBTQIA+ community were rejected without reason. The amount of attention these videos achieved, introduced a new question: are Greek life organizations actually inclusive to all?
Statistics from a 1996 study show that “approximately 5-6% of fraternity members and 3-4% of sorority members were known by respondents to identify as LGBT” and the numbers have only grown since. Many LGBTQIA+ students are drawn to the promise of belonging and the feeling of a family on campuses across the country. The University of Oklahoma is no different, advertising the inclusivity and community provided by 29 active Panhellenic chapters on campus.
While some LGBTQIA+ students have found a sense of home in these organizations, many others feel unwelcome and feel the need to hide their true identity. Current Greek life member Madison Newberry does recommend Greek life to other queer students.
“I absolutely would, because even in my sorority, there’s a large percentage of us that do identify as LGBTQ, and there’s a place for everybody.”
Although Newberry admits there’s only so much the organization itself can do.
“I do wish there was maybe more public acknowledgment. I know for a fact that it comes from the National Panhellenic Council on whether it’s okay to post about certain things. So, even if we wanted to, if headquarters didn’t want us to do it, we couldn’t”.
As the first fraternity can be dated back to 1776, many policies and foundations aren’t designed for today’s modern and more inclusive world. While some Greek organizations’ inclusivity problems are rooted in the founders’ ideals, others can be found rooted in the culture themselves. Previous fraternity member Teagan Gonzalez commented on the culture of OU Fraternities.
“You have to be able to look the other way. And, if you can’t then you shouldn’t rush, like, they’re not going to change, how they talk or what they talk about, or the jokes that they make. Just because you’re out of the closet or just because you’re gonna be uncomfortable with it, they don’t care. That’s not the culture of the fraternity” Gonzalez says.
It seems for many LGBTQIA+ individuals the question is how much are you willing to tolerate to be included, though for some the reward is worth the risk.
“There’s also a factor where, you know, even with real siblings, you accept one another, deep down, but you never show it. You mess with your sibling all the time, with as much inflammatory language as possible. And you don’t mean anything behind it. and yeah, it’s bad that you said those things but like, you’re just there to piss your sibling off, that’s being in a fraternity.” Gonzalez said. Information about Greek life on campus is available at the universities Fraternity and Sorority Programs and Services Panhellenic Recruitment page. For LGBTQIA+ campus resources visit the Universities Gender and Equality Center website.