Northwestern Greek Allies Ally Development in Fraternities and Sororities

WELCOME Introductions Northwestern Greek Allies, founded 2009 Design and implement a longstanding organization that promotes educational programming and diversity awareness in regards to LGBT and questioning students and their allies. Education, Outreach and Advocacy Becca

WHAT DO WE HEAR ABOUT … About students in fraternities or sororities? About lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students? About lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students in fraternities and sororities? Becca(3)/Max(4)

HIDDEN POPULATION Who knows someone who is LGBT? How do we know that someone is LGBT? If 10% of the population is LGBT then… Total Students: 7800 780 LGBT undergrads Fraternities and Sororities: 2604 260 LGBT members (potential – Is this really reflective?) MGC: 52 5 LGBT Members Becca

LAMBDA 10 NATIONAL LGBT FRATERNITY AND SORORITY RESEARCH Becca Explain Lambda 10 (lambda10.org) LAMBDA 10 NATIONAL LGBT FRATERNITY AND SORORITY RESEARCH

RESEARCH Qualitative study of experiences of LGBT peoples in fraternities and sororities from 1960 to 2007 Case (1996) found that LGB students joined fraternities and sororities for reasons similar to those of heterosexual students: friendship, social activities, and a sense of belonging. Becca

RESEARCH Results found that the heterocentric nature of Greek social activities, homophobic attitudes, and the perceived need to hide their sexual orientation detracted from the experience of LGBT members. LGBT members often voice no opposition to homophobic behavior for fear that it might reveal their identity.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR FRIEND IS LGBT Do not assume sexual orientation Do not assume LGBT friends find you attractive Be honest about your feelings Your friend has not changed Respect confidentiality Know your resources Hold all friends to equal standards

WAYS TO BE A GOOD ALLY Don’t assume everyone is heterosexual DO NOT EVER out someone – just because you might know, don’t assume that others do or should Avoid anti-LGBT jokes and conversations Actively pursue a process of self-education - read and ask questions Interrupt prejudice and take action against oppression, even when people from the target group are not present Confront issues in private with individuals – not groups Stand up to offensive language – “That’s so gay” Statistics As of 11/03/09, there were 154,000 web sites with the phrase “that’s so gay” “so gay” was used 488 times on Twitter as (Thinkb4youspeak.org)

Thank You! Questions? For more information on Northwestern Greek Allies, contact the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. Information in this PowerPoint has been used from the Lambda 10 Project, ThinkB4YouSpeak.com, University of Michigan Spectrum Center, and the Northwestern University LGBT Resource Center.