SigEp Makes History By Opening Membership To Transgenders
Transgender acceptance and inclusivity, probably the predominant hot-button topic of 2015, has officially made its way into one of the most tradition-centric and exclusive networks of men in our country. American fraternities, widely perceived as an outdated good ol’ boy club stuck in its ways, made history recently.
By a unanimous vote of those in attendance, the Sigma Phi Epsilon National Board of Directors have officially opened up membership to people who identify as transgender.
Student Director Sawyer J. Hicks explains that the fraternity is built “on the brotherhood and fellowship of men,” and this should no longer exclude those who self-identify as men, regardless of the gender they were given at birth.
From SigEp.org:
Grand Secretary Richard W. Bennet III emphasized the need for chapters to be leaders and to take a individual stance on the issue. He encouraged the Headquarters staff to play a supporting role by helping chapters understand the issues and create a welcoming environment.
Grand President Cox asked for a motion to approve the policy recommended by Counsel.
Student Director Sawyer J. Hicks moved to approve the adoption of the following policy regarding transgender inclusivity:
“Sigma Phi Epsilon is a national Fraternity built on the brotherhood and fellowship of men. Any individual who identifies as a man is welcome to seek membership in the Fraternity. This policy is intended to uphold the mission of Sigma Phi Epsilon as a fellowship of men and should not be interpreted as changing the all-male character of the Fraternity or as a waiver of the Fraternity’s exempt status under Title IX.”
Seconded by Director Garry C. Kief.
Grand President Cox asked for discussion and Director Kief asked for a full definition of the terminology to be used.
The motion passed by an 8-0 majority vote with three abstentions.
The term transgender describes a person “whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.”
It will be interesting to see which organizations follow suit..
[via SigEp.org]
I realize being gay isn’t a choice but I’m not sold on transgender. Some credible people are saying it’s just a mental disorder, but good publicity nonetheless.
10 years ago at 9:50 pmBeing Transgender is not a mental disorder. They have downgraded in the DSM-5 (the psych guide for diagnosing). It is in there because it is still a mental thing that you wrestle with, but that is why it has been changed from Gender identity DISORDER to Gender dysphoria. Those who view this as a mental disorder are misguided. Being transgender is not an illness. The same arguments were made against gays. Not trying to incite an argument, just putting out facts.
10 years ago at 10:04 pmTry arguing with the fine Drs at Johns Hopkins who still classify it as a disorder rather than bend to the pressure of society.
10 years ago at 10:15 pmI smoked pot with Johnny Hopkins
10 years ago at 11:15 pmWhat does or does not go into the psych guide is an incredibly political process, and I really don’t believe that issues (like transgenderism) are included or dropped on the merits of science alone. After all, the gay lobby did force this same organization to drop homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973.
10 years ago at 10:31 pmI’m guessing none of you guys are psych majors. As a psych major, you all sounded stupid in your own special way.
10 years ago at 10:58 pmI’m just trying to offend people.
10 years ago at 11:20 pmI like it.
10 years ago at 8:25 amBoanthropy (a psychological disorder where someone believes to be bovine) is still a disorder. How long before people say “so and so chemical” is actually to blame and it’s just dyshoria not a disorder? Will we see humans grazing on fields within the next 50 years?
10 years ago at 10:17 amHopefully!
10 years ago at 3:20 pmThanks for pointing that out. I’m still a bitch-made undergrad but I hope to be diagnosing stuff like that some day.
10 years ago at 10:59 pmIt’s clearly a mental disorder, but nobody chooses to have a mental disorder.
10 years ago at 1:17 pmThat’s like telling your family it’s steak night, and then throwing chicken on the grill. Doesn’t make a whole lot of fucking sense.
10 years ago at 9:54 pmSteve Holt might finally have a chance at getting in somewhere.
10 years ago at 9:55 pmI’m tired of the hole debate of transgender issues
10 years ago at 9:55 pmI see what you did there.
10 years ago at 5:24 amI seriously doubt anyone who’s transgender would even rush in the first place
10 years ago at 9:56 pmThey would just to cause a shit show and get the fraternity shut down. And they’d be heralded as brave.
10 years ago at 12:48 amI know two transgenders that rushed… The gay fraternity on campus… Where they belong….
10 years ago at 2:33 amBy “the gay fraternity” do you mean sae or sig chi?
10 years ago at 5:27 amThey’d rush one of the bottom-tier houses. Like Pike.
10 years ago at 2:34 amA transgender Pike. Now that I would like to see.
10 years ago at 5:12 amHeadline: “Pike suspended for giving himself a roofie.”
10 years ago at 5:16 amDorn, you seem confused over which side to support. We know which side you secretly support but to state it would be PR “suicide”. And this is precisely why Trump is #1 in the polls. He says what everyone is secretly thinking but is afraid to say.
10 years ago at 9:59 pm???
10 years ago at 10:02 pmAnd yet again, a national fraternity has chosen to score political points instead of protecting their members. Here’s how the death of a Sig Ep chapter will play out: Trans person rushes. Chapter doesn’t bid them because they aren’t comfortable with it. Trans person starts social media firestorm. School condemns chapter. Nationals follows suit and removes chapter because “that goes against our official position”. Members threatened and ridiculed by community.
10 years ago at 10:03 pmit sucks because that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
10 years ago at 12:34 amIt’s disgusting. No matter what fucked up policy nationals adopt, it should always be up to the individual chapters to decide who they bid
10 years ago at 9:13 amIt still will be, and the more established and traditional SigEp chapters most likely won’t change anything about their rush/bidding process. As a SigEp from a bigger chapter, the chapters that usually don’t listen to nationals and cause the most problems are the older/larger/traditional ones. This is an easy way to get them back on the leash with nationals. A trans kid rushes at a big university, doesn’t get a bid, stirs up some media attention and all SigEp has to do is send in nationals to clean house. They’ll hold a membership review, do a GPA audit, rearrange the exec board, etc. and just plain kick out anybody who might cause trouble for the chapter. Then they’ll issue a statement saying that the chapter “is now reformed and back in line with national standards” and will probably get a little help in the PR department for it. All the while, they remind the chapter that they’re now on the hot seat and have 1 or 2 strikes left before their chapters wiped out.
Same thing that happened when they started the balanced man program and tried to get rid of pledging, the more established chapters pushed back and although they weren’t forced to accept balanced man, they put a huge target on their backs.
10 years ago at 11:16 amBingo, nailed it. I’m an old, but my chapter was (and still is) traditional, but that Balanced Man bullshit really pisses me off. This is certainly more of the same, though I’ll wager it was WAY less of a real world impact.
10 years ago at 5:42 pmAs long as Sig Ep doesn’t extend a bid to every single guy who rushed, the fraternity can support themselves and say “it’s not that he’s transgender, we just didn’t feel he was a good fit for us, just like the other guys who didn’t get a bid”
10 years ago at 11:05 amYou are correct CadetFrat… However the shitty reality is that these PC warriors with their gripes against fraternities will still condemn them and say its because they are transgender. Its really a lose lose. Social media makes it so easy for these PC pricks to ruin whatever they choose to.
10 years ago at 6:06 pmwhich of the trans genders are the target demographic here?
10 years ago at 10:04 pm– even if this spreads to all fraternities, transgenders still won’t likely rush and even if, they will be <1% of the rushees
10 years ago at 10:08 pmfun fact: only like 1/20,000 is trans so yeah I don’t see why people think they’re gonna be over run by trans people all of a sudden.
10 years ago at 8:02 amThey’ll all find a way to bring a media hellstorm on chapters that don’t bid them though. These kinds of people hate Fraternities.
10 years ago at 9:54 amIf you can’t figure out if you squat or stand while taking a leak, you’ve got no business rushing.
10 years ago at 10:09 pmJudging from the Fail Friday photos, there’s a lot of guys who can’t figure this out.
10 years ago at 5:21 am