Rough Draft 1

Eveleen Chung

College!

3/25/2014

Rough Draft

Homosexuals in fraternities, though not common, are slowly rising in number and support. Some fraternities were even known to be particularly accepting of gays. One openly homosexual male described his fellow brothers’ attitude about his sexuality: “The thing that was the best…I knew going into it they weren’t going to have an issue, and that was helpful” (Hussey, Heather D., and Toni L. Bisconti). Though not the case for all fraternities or even the majority of them, it is still comforting to know that there are parts of Greek life who’re embracing differences in sexuality. Alas, that positive attitude doesn’t seem to carry over to homosexual women in sororities. In comparison to male homosexuals, lesbians in sororities suffer more open hostility and negative stereotypes. As a result, they have a more diminished presence on campus. One Greek-affiliated male from a small, private Midwestern university with an active LGBTQ community confessed, “When [the interviewer] mentioned it, I don’t know a single girl in any house that [is homosexual.]”A girl from the same university stated that her housemates’ attitudes and snide comments about other lesbians put off her coming-out until her senior year (Hussey 129). Why would lesbians have a more negative reaction in Greek life than a gay male? Part of this difference in treatment lies in the dominant perception of women, specifically sorority women. Even for heterosexual, white girls with blonde hair and good looks, the rushing process is incredibly intimidating. Mara, a pledge for a top tier sorority in her school, described the peer dynamics of the house as “heavily… based on appearance, and looks, and materialistic things” (Armstrong). The other part lies in lack of media attention. Both parts tie into the fact that while “gays” are more “mainstream” than are either lesbians or women bisexuals.