It’s that time of year when high school seniors all over the country are deciding on a college and crossing their fingers every time the mail hits the box, hoping for that acceptance letter to “THE School”…their dream school. For many of the young men among the college bound seniors, one of the big pluses of their dream school are the fraternities. Many will pledge and join a Greek brotherhood. Many will stay with their frats throughout their college careers.
What if a potential brother is gay? What happens then? Will he be accepted? Will he have to stay closeted? Will he be safe from harm? These are all valid questions.
In 1998, the Lambda 10 Project published the still very popular today book, Out on Fraternity Row: Personal Accounts of Being Gay in a College Fraternity: A Collection of Essays
This uncompromising first-person series of accounts of life inside that traditionally homophobic institution-the college fraternity-is riveting and brutally honest. Brotherhood, friship, and a chance to belong are the promises offered to young men by campus fraternities. But what if the young man happens to be gay? Will his brothers accept him, or will he lose his friships and his community? More than 30 men join voices in this emotionally charged and important anthology to tell their individual stories of coming out or keeping silent and how this decision changed their fraternal experience, their view of themselves, and even their lives. Also included are information and educational interventions on how to deal with homophobia in the college fraternity and how to encourage the Greek system to accept openly gay members. For anyone struggling with issues of trying to belong or being true to himself, “Out on Fraternity Row will provide the comfort of knowing he is not alone.
There is still quite a bit of valid and valuable information in the essays contained within the pages of this book. That said, the editor, Shane Windmeyer, felt an update was very much in order given our changing times. Seven years later, in 2005, he published, Brotherhood: Gay Life in College Fraternities
These men pull no punches. In the essays in both books, they tell it like it is. Some were out, some were not. Some that were out had good experiences and some didn’t. Some things have changed and some things have not.
Overall, these are two great books to give a gay potential brother a look at what fraternity life might be like for him should he choose to be out. It would be really awesome if Mr. Windmeyer would endow us with another update. It’s been 7 years. What do you say sir?!
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