When I was matriculating in college, every Wednesday and Friday for several weeks during the fall and spring semesters we UH Cougars would get to see the probates line up at noon in front of the UC.There would be the usual testosterone fueled antics of the frats as they verbally dissed their brother orgs and get into the occasion pushing and shoving match. The ladies would be standing at perfectly coiffed attention in matching outfits in their various sorority colors as a gathered crowd of Greek and non Greek peeps watched the fun and festivities.
As I sat there as part of that gathered crowd focusing on the sisters, I felt a mix of emotions ranging from sadness to jealously because I was in the wrong body at the time for membership.
Well, now that the Phenomenal Transwoman has been honestly living her life for the past 16 years, the 102nd anniversary of the founding of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has me pondering what would happen if I were given the honor of being extended an invitation to join one of those sororities.
After falling over in shock because it happened, then the serious questions would kick in related to the historic gravity of the situation. As of this writing I'm not aware of any open transwoman members of a BGL sorority. I'm not aware if there have been any discussions at the organizational or the National Pan-Hellenic Council level on the parameters for admitting transpeople to BGLO organizations.
But with transpeople transitioning as early as elementary and middle school, sooner or later what I'm talking about here will come to pass.
Because of the scrutiny that I (or any first transperson) would get inside and outside the organization I'd have to ask myself do I not only want it bad enough, do I have the intestinal fortitude and the will to make it happen?
If I can deal with a gender transition, pledging would seem anticlimactic compared to that. But then again, I'd have to go through it to know for certain how difficult it is to be able to honestly make that comparison.
I'd be doing so knowing that a microscope would be on me in the BGL sorority world, that particular organization, that particular chapter and inside the chapter of that org who extended me the invitation to join.
I'd come in knowing that I would have to be better than the average incoming pledge, be willing to accept that challenge, and know that how well I do will determine whether future transpeople would follow in my footsteps.
BGL sororities are moving into their second century of service to our community. They have grown to be international organizations with over a half million women as members encompassing a wide spectrum of fields and legions of trailblazing women. I would want to be a compliment to that tradition of excellence, not a detriment to it. BGL sororities have welcomed women of different ethnic backgrounds into their ranks for over 50 years, and it's a matter of time before transwomen who are down with what these organizations stand for are permitted to join.
So would Moni join a sorority if one extended her an invitation to join?
Yep. In a heartbeat.
