The Chi Phi fraternity, “one of the oldest fraternities in the United States,” has opened its doors to transgender students at the University of Georgia in an effort to be more inclusive.
In order to pledge, however, students must show that they are male “as defined by valid legal documentation.”
This, according to The Red & Black’s Kelcey Caulder, is woefully burdensome: “Unfortunately, the use of the term ‘valid legal documentation’ will keep out many of the students the fraternity hoped to include by expanding its policy.”
“Legally changing one’s gender can be difficult and expensive, and some states still do not legally recognize gender changes,” she writes. “This means many transgender men will remain unable to join Chi Phi chapters in these states. Georgia also has difficult laws regarding legal gender change.”
According to the Georgia Department of Driver Services website, applicants who wish to update the gender marker on their IDs must submit either a court order or physician letter certifying the gender change. The letter or order must state the date of the individual’s gender reassignment operation. The website also states that sex can only be amended on a birth certificate upon receipt of a court order indicating that the individual’s sex was changed by surgical procedure.
MORE: Transgenders can use your bathroom, don’t ‘gender police’ if a man comes in
For students at UGA who are beginning their transition or who are unable to undergo gender reassignment surgery due to high cost, these strict rules and the language of Chi Phi’s new policy are not helpful and may lead to bigger issues.
How will the fraternity decide which pledges will be asked to provide documentation confirming their gender? Will only people who ‘appear’ to be transgender be asked for this information? Will brothers make decisions regarding admittance of transgender pledges and, if so, how could anyone ensure that discrimination would not come into play when those decisions are made? Without answers to these questions, the door is open to the same exclusivity shown before the new policy was put in place.
While appreciating that the frat is taking steps to be inclusive, Caulder notes “we all have a lot to learn if we’re celebrating the fact that they [Chi Phi] tossed us a bone.”
The most inclusive avenue to take, she says, would be to allow any male-identifying student:
“Allowing transgender men to join Chi Phi if they have gender reassignment surgery is like offering women equal pay if they stop asking for maternity leave.”
MORE: Transgender surgery covered by UC-Berkeley’s student health plan
MORE: Dem. lawmaker flips out on prof who says transgenders should not be indulged
Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter
IMAGE: Daren Woodward/Shutterstock
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.