Not All Greek Life is Straight
BY MADDIE KAPLAN
I was hesitant to rush. Not because I’m not straight, though that did occur to me, but because I simply felt as if I didn’t fit the “mold” of Greek life. Basement parties leading to basement make outs leading to hook ups with someone you will indubitably see at next week’s party. But, even if I accept, even thrive in, DFMO culture, what if I don’t always want to DFMO with a guy… Well, once in Greek life I thought that I wouldn’t do that— I wouldn’t express a portion of my sexuality while at Greek events.
And that was fine, to some extent. But, then I learned about Lambda Q. Well, first I learned about a GroupMe within my sorority for queer members. I had heard about the GroupMe from a fellow freshman who had spoken about it with an active member during rush. I took it upon myself to “organically” bring it up in conversation, later Facebook messaging a member of my chapter for more information. Immediately, this changed everything. Well that sounds dramatic, but what I do mean is that it changed the way I felt like I could exist in Greek life. And this started with visibility, one of Lambda Q’s goals. While I didn’t know about Lamda Q, I did know was that I was standing in an apartment talking to someone who I had more in common with than just a sorority. I felt accepted, but more than that, I felt like I had somewhere that I could be more of myself than I had presumed. I cannot speak for everyone when I say that I do not believe sexuality needs to dominate my life. Meaning, I do not believe that my queerness is something that needs to determine everything about my life. But when you join a group that is inherently heteronormative, it makes you realize that even if you don’t think it is a large part of your life, being told— or more feeling— like you cannot express it makes it feel like a larger deal than maybe you wanted. Well, at least it did for me. Lambda Q is a group within Greek life for LGBTQIA* members. Less officially, senior Charlotte Young calls it “an affinity group” setting within Greek life. But regardless of how you define it, Lambda Q is a group that many people never think about. This isn’t necessarily negative, however, I still believe that knowledge about Lambda Q is crucial, especially for individuals like myself. But what I, as well as multiple members, truly like about Lambda Q is that although there is conversation about pertinent issues within and affection the LGBTQIA* community, it also provides a space to discuss personal experiences. "...there is conversation about pertinent issues within and affecting the LGBTQIA* community, it also provides a space to discuss personal experiences." Jackie Feldman started Lambda Q for just that— a space to share experiences and discuss ways that Greek life can be improved. My own experience has proven that change can happen, however, I wish to emphasize that Lambda Q has started a conversation and sparked change, not solved the issues entirely. For multiple members, including myself, joining a sorority meant “erasing” a part of their identity, meaning any part that did not fit the heteronormative expectation. Yet the fact that this was not a reason for each member of Lambda Q to not rush proves Lambda Q’s need— to prove that queerness and Greek life are not mutually exclusive. Furthermore, joining sororities has given multiple members perspective as to how much work must be done, and the tools to make change. But this isn’t easy. Junior Marie Warchol put it best when stating “While there has been a lot of structural change because of Lambda Q, there are so many other conversations that need to happen and things that we need to address. But it’s given me hope that the system can be changed from within.” "...to prove that queerness and Greek life are not mutually exclusive." All of this is to say that Lambda Q exists, and that statement alone should be looked at as a victory. It has just gained SU funding and hopes to continue to increase visibility. Many people hear about Lambda Q through word of mouth and Kat Wood— campus outreach— has presented at many sororities and fraternities. However, the discussion should not stop here. More conversations should continue to occur within chapters themselves among members of all different identities. Through such conversations, individual chapters as well as Greek life as a whole can continue its journey to becoming a more inclusive environment. "More conversations should continue to occur within chapters themselves among members of all different identities." If you have any further questions, feel free to contact Marie Warchol [email protected] and/or come to a meeting! In addition to personal experiences, I also interviewed multiple members, each of who are represented by a letter. See below: How would you/do you explain LQ to people who aren’t familiar with it?
How long have you been involved?
How have non-queer greeks responded?
Were you hesitant to rush?
If yes, or even if no, what aspects of Greek life surprised you? Either positively or negatively?
Impact on you (if any)?
Do you feel like it’s changed anything? Socially, within chapter, etc?
Other stuff?
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