Fraternity brothers will trade in their letters Wednesday night for dresses, copious amounts of makeup and maybe even wigs to promote acceptance for LGBT students.
Leaders of the drag show, organized by GW’s largest LGBT organization and 20 Greek chapters, said they hope the event will promote inclusivity and ward off stereotypes that students can’t be both gay and Greek.
“It’s to support, whether they’re out or not, the LGBT members of our community,” Interfraternity Council President Casey Wood said. “And I think it’s a great way to embrace that no matter where you come from or who you are, there’s always a place in Greek life for you.”
The drag contest will raise funds for The Trevor Project, which combats LGBT youth suicide, along with an organization of the winning fraternity’s choice. The event has already raised $2,000 through chapters’ participating fees, and it will charge $5 per ticket.
Wood, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha, touted the University’s Greek community as open and accepting, thanks in part to a changing atmosphere honing in on philanthropy and embracing diversity rather than perpetuating “a culture around drinking.”
“We had people in this community five or six years ago that didn’t feel comfortable coming out, and now you have chapters that are renowned for having a large population of LGBT members,” Wood said. “And that’s awesome.”
The event is the brainchild of Allied in Pride President Nick Gumas. He said he wants to make gay students feel more comfortable in their chapters, even if they choose not to come out to their fraternity brothers. The sophomore said Greek life tends to breed a culture of machismo.
“I know there are a lot of LGBT members who are Greek, but for one reason or the other, maybe don’t feel as comfortable as non-Greek students to express themselves,” Gumas, who is not in a fraternity, said. But he added, “The purpose of this event is not to help people spring out of the closet, it’s to make people feel more accepted.”
Chapter presidents said they hope an event, instead of a speech or presentation, will be a more engaging way to promote tolerance.
Pi Kappa Phi president Trey O’Callaghan said his fraternity is hoping to redefine negative stereotypes that could be associated with Greek life.
“Our participation in the Allied in Pride event is our way of demonstrating that GW Greek life stands behind the LGBT community,” he said.
While the event celebrates drag queen culture, Gumas said the event goes back to the roots of the LGBT movement, when drag queens led New York City riots in 1969 and catapulted the struggle for gay rights onto the national agenda.
Oz Fishman, an openly gay member of Sigma Chi, said he initially had reservations about the event, thinking it could potentially reinforce stereotypes of gay men, but he said he realized that was unlikely to happen at a campus like GW.
“Everyone has enough gay friends and enough of an understanding of how people choose to identify with their sexuality,” Fishman said.
He added that gay students choose to join Greek life for the same reasons as straight students, and said he never felt prejudice as a member of Greek life.
“My sexual orientation is just as much a part of my identity as anybody [else's],” Fishman said.
Sophomore Michael Morgan, a member of Beta Theta Pi who will star as a drag queen, grew up in conservative eastern Washington state, but said coming to GW helped change his views on gay rights.
“A lot of times fraternities are attributed stigmas of homophobia, and there are definitely precedents for that, but it will be good to combat that ideology,” Morgan said, adding that his sister is “married to another lady very happily.”
Morgan’s chapter president, Colin O’Brien, agreed that it was an important cause.
“Allied in Pride’s idea for this event is a refreshing shake-up,” O’Brien said. “It will help us to make it clear to the GW community at large that Greek life is welcoming to all people, period.”
The 11 fraternity participants will each introduce their most stunning straight drag queen at 7 p.m. in the Lisner Auditorium.
This event spreads stereotypes about fraternities. Also, how is acting queer going to increase acceptance? You’re hurting your own cause.
I imagine it will help change the perception that fraternities are homophobic…. Fostering a relationship with the LGBT community, while raising money for a great cause and having fun, will only make our already diverse greek community more inclusive. Chill out bra.
I think the fact that your name is “bro” is all the explanation that you need
Real mature responses. I used bro bc I didn’t want to give my name bc of the political in correctness of my statements. Bro is obviously short for fraternity brother. A thoughtful response to my comments rather than just a gut STEREOTYPING reaction would have been better. I don’t fear gay people; I like them and think their funny. People should treat them equally. We both want the same results, we just have different strategies for bringing that about.
Gay rights groups spend more time fighting amongst themselves then their opposition (and people wonder why you can still fire someone for being gay).. Thanks for providing a good example.
Your grammar is atrocious. You should not be allowed to use the English language.
Granted, there were a couple mistakes, but not that many. A comma or two and than misspelled. That’s a bit of an over exaggeration. And, once again someone else proves my point about dumbing down the conversation with insults. Stick to the topic like an adult.
Not surprising, it’s a UPD security guard.
If you think there are any grammar mistakes here, your an idiot. Unlike most people, I’ve actually studied grammar.
Ha. I just read it and I misspelled surprising. I’ll blame it on self-corrector and shitty GW education, even though that’s a bad excuse bc I know I made a mistake. Anyway, topic was about whether increasing acceptance for non-heterosexuals by doing something queer that they’ll laugh it, is constructive.
This is just like the vaudeville actors who wore black face to show support for African-Americans.
This.
You’re not seeing this in the proper manner. And your analogy is offensive. Comparing DRAG performances to black face is stating that all gay men are drag queens, which in case you live under a rock, is not true. An action, like a chapter showing their unequivocal support to their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, resounds more powerfully than words.
Further, there are plenty of straight men who perform in drag. wanna see? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OcwTrb1GxA
So please, check yourself.
Waste of time….what I don’t understand is that the lgbt community tries so hard to gain acceptance when they just need to be confident in what they’re doing and quite worrying so much about what everyone else thinks, cause that’s their whole “schtick” right?- that they are allied in pride…more like allied in making sure everyone else is ok with it.
Are the Greeks that are gay part of the LGBT community? You are thinking as is Allied in Pride is the entire LGBT community but as a Greek fraternity member it was hard for me to come out. I think this philanthropy event is the start of it becoming a non-issue. Obviously you see it as two worlds so looks like there is much work to be done.
I don’t think people thought the frats had problems with LBGT. I think people think frats have problems in their functionality. In no other type of organization on campus is it acceptable to have a ‘rape basement’ and not get kicked out. I don’t think most other organizations get busted once a year for hazing.
TL;DR – Frats don’t have problems with LBGT, they have problems with functional society
Actually, there are fraternities that won’t allow guys in if they are perceived as gay. Everything else you stated might be true but that isn’t the point.
Your statement about gw fraternities is so ignorant its insane. Cause you know fraternities here have basements designed to facilitate rape, lol. Try just for a moment to use a little common sense and not just regurgitate something you heard at CI. Accusing a fraternity of rape is a serious accusation and should not be done lightly.
I’m pretty sure I’m not regurgitating what I heard at CI, that was several years back at this point. Actually heard very little about the frats at CI. That is all knowledge I picked up while attending GW, (plus some wonderful stories about frats hazing).
Oh cause you know from your time at gw. Please give me a break. Thank god hearsay is inadmissable, cause ignorant people like yourself will believe anything they hear. If you know of hazing going on in a specific fraternity call IFC and if you know of a rape on campus call the police. I know my fraternity does not haze and unless your a member or a new member of an organization you have no idea what goes on because it’s hearsay and let me tell you the one major fault of Greek life is its a rumor mill. Now please put up or shut up.
At the very least, each year one Greek Organization is busted for hazing. Check the Hatchet database, its all there. Beyond that, the other stories I heard were all firsthand accounts from members of the frat involved, not rumor spreading. The frat decided to cover it up rather than report it.
If that’s true, why didn’t you report it? Why are you friends with people that would do that? I find this almost impossible to believe. I know nothing like this has happened in my fraternity for at least the last several years, and I’ve never heard of it happening elsewhere.
You should only post such OUTRAGEOUS claims if you have first-hand knowledge, which you say you don’t. This is the definition of HEARSAY.
Rape is really evil. Most people are bad, but not like that. You are a real idiot for believing that a group of people would condone rape. In fact, as a member of a fraternity with a basement, I know that in reality fraternity brothers are the ones watching out for girls. They are worried about a non-member taking advantage of a drunk girl. The incidents in question that took place in my fraternity actually involved girls taking advantage of boys.
Why would an event based on stereotypes, which will probably involve bros laughing at how silly they’re dressed, make closeted Greeks more comfortable?
As a gay man I’m offended by this – dressing up in drag does not make me feel more comfortable with fraternities being LGBT friendly – I see it as a mockery of something that, while a feature of the LGBT community, is not something that applies to every gay man. I’m not a drag queen, I’m not even really a fan of drag shows. Drag doesn’t define our community, and having straight guys dress up as women for their straight friends to get drunk and laugh about/at it does nothing but make me, and probably other gay members of the fraternity/LGBT communities uncomfortable and if anything feel less acceptable.
Bottom line…this isn’t okay.
Actually I am okay with it (and I am a Gay Greek). What you are saying is that you don’t believe in all that goes on during Capitol Pride, which is your opinion and some others have the same but Gay dressing as women is okay but straights can’t?
This is the first step to get them to open up. In this approach it is using the humor and entertainment of drag. True not all of us gays like drag but it is more identifiable than a gay who stay at home watching ESPN. If you really think this is so bad what is your solution?
“If you really think this is so bad what is your solution?”
Why not just have an event/fundraiser that doesn’t involve what basically seems like a mockery of drag. I mean it really seems like ‘oh look at me I’m a dude wearing a dress I love gay people’ when drag is only one subset of the gay community.
Gotta agree with the comments above. As a gay man, I’m not okay with this. I don’t dress in drag and neither do any of the gays that I know. This is the problem with allied, instead of supporting the vast majority of the LGBT community, they promote the stereotypes of the gay community which make us look ridiculous.
The LGBT community at GW is very segmented – it’s very bitchy and gossipy. Allied should try to host events that are designed to get the regular gays to meet each other, have a good time and hopefully become less hostile towards each other rather than having an event where the greeks can laugh at us.
“regular gays”
Whether or not you agree, drag shows are a large cultural aspect of the gay community. At every gay pride parade that I’ve been to, there have been large amounts of people dressed up in drag. When you go to Town (the gay club), there are a lot of people dressed in drag. It’s not making fun of stereotypes, it’s celebrating a long standing tradition in the gay community. Sorry that some parts of being in gay culture aren’t “normal” enough for you.
It may be a “big part of our history” but it doesn’t mean that it’s a real part of LGBT society. If you go to Town, you see maybe 2 or 3 of the hundreds of people there are dressed in drag.
The fact is that the Allied leadership set up an event that makes us look ridiculous. What about someone in greek life who is struggling life as a transgendered person have their peers mock their struggle by prancing around in a dress/heels and make up.
I think it’s great that Greeks and the LGBTs are working together but I do wish Allied has picked something that was more accessible to the whole LGBT community.
about that last sentence I wrote, it was unnecessarily aggressive. It’s not like this event is being presented to members of the Greek community without context… It’s being discussed in chapter meetings as being supportive of the gay community and sparking conversations that wouldn’t otherwise be had in the chapters.
Someone who is closeted in Greek Life would understand that their brothers are doing it to support them, not to mock them, just by virtue of the fact that they call them “brother”
Reading this article made me cringe. Also, my real name isn’t Filbert.
It’s like the Black Student Union getting the Greeks to do a fried chicken and watermelon eating competition.
Exactly. There are ways to show support for the LGBT community, this just isn’t it.
As a recent Alumni and having been a Gay member of a Fraternity, I am offended that the University would allow for this to happen. This feels like a mockery of the LGBT movement on campus and undoubtedly there will be many drunk members of the Greek community laughing about all of it.
Completely agree with the above two posters, also a gay guy. WTF? That’s all I can really say, I don’t understand the correlation at all.. and I tend to agree this could make people feel MORE uncomfortable when others are laughing and having “good fun” towards people on stage. And with all do respect, I’m gay.. not a woman, not a drag queen, I don’t have breasts, I don’t wear make up.. nor do I want to or plan on it. I respect those with that express themselves that way, but that’s not going to make me feel included or accepted anymore. I tend to think most LGBT on campus don’t participate in drag. Also agree Allied in Pride misunderstands their audience 100%. Very sad.
Looking at the comments thus far, I think the issue of representation is at the heart of the various reactions. On the one hand, people have specific concepts regarding the Greek Life, and on the other hand people have specific concepts regarding the LGBT life. People, chill please, this event in itself isn’t going to claim any sort of ultimate truth regarding either lives—the whole point is to break stereotypes and foster a sense of acceptance, for people in either/both kind of life.
If you let this bother you a lot, you should be aware that even in both Greek and LGBT lives, there is no consensus whatsoever about how either lives should or is. We could all argue until the end of eternity and still have no agreement over this.
“the whole point is to break stereotypes and foster a sense of acceptance”
Yes, but is a group of heterosexual males wearing drag (essentially as a way to ‘associate’ this event as lgbt oriented) is reductive and fosters stereotypes. Drag might be a part of gay culture but for an lgbt event that is supposed to encompass the acceptance of lesbians, bisexuals, and transexuals as well this makes no sense.
This is the equivalence of let’s say promoting a South Asian appreciation day by having white people try to appropriate a culture and wear bindis and saris as a representation of that entire geographic region.
I think the event has good intentions but this is a borderline offensive way to express this good sentiment
Also, people should give more credit to the leaders of both ends. To put this into more context, yes there are lots of flaws in this event, but this sort of event never took place on this campus before. Its really hard to do any kind of perfection that satisfies everyone, especially issues regarding LGBT people that can be very sensitive.
“It’s really hard to do any kind of perfection that satisfies everyone”
Yet they’ve manage to satisfy no one.
A real brain trust of GW’s best minds must have put this together. Going to Lisner and watching people pretend to be ‘gay’ (I’ll only say this — it’s a bit more complicated than that) will be so funny and tolerant! We will gain such a rich understanding of identity! I am so excited for the future after reading this! We are so smart and thoughtful!
This is literally dumb as hell.
This event never took place on campus before because it is such a terrible idea
They’re trying something new. Allied used to have Drag Ball, but this was an idea to bring in frat guys.
And people who wouldn’t normally come to something called “Drag Ball”
I don’t think the point of this is to say that all gay guys dress in drag. We all know that it’s not standard for gay men to be drag queens. This event isn’t saying that.
What this event is saying, at least to me, is that Allied in Pride and GW’s fraternities have teamed up to send a message of inclusiveness. Having frat guys participate in something so historically prominent in gay culture isn’t necessarily making a mockery of it, it’s them going out on a limb, out of their comfort zone, to send a message of support. It’s pretty hard to make a mockery of drag when it is in and of itself supposed to be a goofy, campy mockery of heteronormativity. Also, half the proceeds are going to the Trevor Project, so that’s pretty damn awesome.
Lastly, if you want to bitch about Allied in Pride’s programming, why don’t you take a look at the other events they’ve done? Or better yet, go to General Body Meetings and tell the leadership what you’d like. Send them an email, go to their office hours. Last year we tried to break out of the mold where every event was a “Big Gay” something or other, and the new leadership has continued that trend. But hey, an LGBT organization should at least run ONE drag show in their diverse line up of events, don’t ya think?
CAN I GET AN AMEN?!
AMEN!!!
AMEN!
Just to counterbalance all the hate in these comments, I thought I’d add my two cents…
As an openly gay member of the Greek community, I think this is a fine idea. First of all, it’s not perpetuating stereotypes, it’s showcasing drag – something *embraced* by much of the gay community – without making any attempt to define homosexual men as anything they’re not. Those of you likening this to a “fried chicken and watermelon eating competition” are foolish. Secondly, it’s important to realize that Allied was very much involved in planning this event… it’s not just the Greek community pandering to the reluctantly participating gay community, it was a collaborative effort to show support and raise money.
Seeing straight guys dress up in drag, likely to the amusement of their fraternity brothers, may make some people uncomfortable, or give the impression of disrespect – that’s fair. You’re entitled to your opinion. That being said, I’m going to be there, I’m going to be laughing my ass off, and I will be doing so with the utmost respect for both the gay and Greek communities of which I am a member. This is all in good fun!
The fact that Allied were involved in the planning of this is why people are so upset. Nobody is slamming the IFC or the greeks here. They’re slamming Allied for being horrifically out of touch with the majority of gays who don’t want to prance around in drag or watch someone else do it.
Props to the IFC for wanting to be involved, but Allied need a serious internal conversation in the way they’re going if they are going to try remain relevant.
They have had a serious internal conversation. But just because a gay organization holds one drag event per school year doesn’t mean they’re out of touch. Don’t sh*t on an entire year’s worth of good programming just because you’re upset that they’re hosting one stereotypically “gay” event.
In no way does this event claim or insinuate that all gays do drag. But drag queens are icons of LGBT pride. Have you ever been to pride? That’s like saying the Broadways actors aid charity shows are offensive because, hey! not all gays do theatre!
Let’s be clear, drag culture is not something that all members of the LGBT community embrace or even know about, nor is this event aimed at representing the LGBT community. The point of this show is raise money for charity, and I applaud the GW Greek community for agreeing to participate. The article also omits the exceptional work that the members of Panhel have done. They have been truly instrumental in helping plan this event, and I appreciate their support.
Let me also be clear that I do not think the GW Greek community subscribes to “machismo culture.” In my interview, I was asked point blank if I thought the GW Greek community had a problem with the LGBT community and my answer was no – the article does not adequately reflect my views on the issue. The “machismo” comment was in reference to the national image that the Greek community has, especially in light of the scandals from various universities regarding mistreatment of women. Here at GW, however, the Greek community has been an absolute pleasure to work with and I have very much enjoyed getting to know their members. The GW Greek community, from my experience, is socially progressive and very accepting of LGBT individuals.
The primary reason Allied In Pride chose the drag idea is because it is entertaining and it would help a good cause. On top of that, the event also illustrates that it is okay to not take yourself too seriously. I think it is important to give voice to the many LGBT members of the Greek community who support this event and see it has an excellent opportunity to help raise money for the Trevor Project – an organization that helps combat LGBT suicide.
The country is enduring an epidemic with LGBT teen suicides. Most of these deaths stem from the fact that LGBT youth feel ostracized and feel that they cannot adequately conform to the norm. These individuals are bullied daily and made to feel worthless. Panhel, IFC, 20 Greek chapters, and I all agree that this event sends a positive message to individuals in that position by agreeing that it is okay to be different. The best, and most entertaining, way to illustrate that point is to have male members of fraternities volunteer to dress in drag. I appreciate the concern that some individuals have, but I invite them to come to the event and see for themselves what it is all about. We have distributed a ton of tickets so far, and I am very excited for the Greek community to put on a great show for an even greater cause.
There we go, it’s for charity. See guys, it can’t be unthoughtfully detrimental to stereotypes, because they didn’t mean it to be!
I can’t wait for all the tolerance GW Greek life is going to have.
Other orgs should have a minstrel show to benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center. That could be really funny and tolerant too.
I love humor! I love tolerance!
Drag shows and minstrel shows are two COMPLETELY different things. Like could not be any more different.
Wouldn’t it be so neat if a bunch of fat people had a food eating competition to raise awareness for obesity?
The comments on this post are incredibly offensive to both the participating Greek organizations and the work of Allied in Pride throughout this semester. It’s quite obvious that this event is presenting a look at the mentality of GW through the perspective of inclusion. I find it amusing that people are responding with such harsh criticism- when was the last time you volunteered your time for a good cause? Last time i checked, raising money to prevent LGBT suicides wasn’t the worst way someone could spend an evening.
As for the comments made by self-proclaimed members of the LGBTIA community, I’m appalled at your comments towards drag culture. You are aware that the participants in Stonewall were “queens”, correct? The distancing of LGB community members from such endeavors of gender expression is an absolute epidemic within the movement. Please, follow the HRCs lead and embrace the mock heteronormativity they have boxed the queer community into.
You should all be ashamed of yourself for being so closed minded. If you can’t see what a progressive event this is, or how an alliance between stereotypically homophobic communities with an LGBT advocacy group can send a positive message to prospective students, I’m disappointed at how ignorant you are. Don’t assume the men performing are doing this as a gag- a lot of hard work and community outreach has gone into planning this event, with all of the proceeds helping charity.
@comment 17.
You’re right. I should have raised money more offensively the last time that I spent my time volunteering for others. When I do it next time, which will be soon, I will be sure to offend someone.
Also, fraternities are super progressive. We should take our cues from them when deciding how to move forward as a society.
“The distancing of LGB community members from such endeavors of gender expression is an absolute epidemic within the movement.”
So making the LGTBQ community seem less like a monolithic mass and more like a group with diverse opinions/goals/habits (aka a group of actual human beings) is an “epidemic”?
Uh whoa so while the drag queen culture of Stonewall should definitely be preserved and remembered, Silvia Rivera was also a trans woman, an identity that kind of gets erased in this type of discussion or generalization.
whoops, Sylvia Rivera.
This events inspiration was making people feel comfortable in their environment, and a huge amount of people are taking time out of their lives with this goal in mind. There was months of planning by both Allied and the Greeks. So why do you think that someone who comes on hatchet and trolls to rip the idea of “coming together” apart and show divisiveness has any REAL or RELEVANT commentary. And also, to those who intro themselves with “As a gay member of GW” or something similar thereto, I ask if you ever took part in Allied events for inclusivity and were an active part of the community. If not, your commentary is also invalid. This event is for those who want to bring people together. (And its for charity).
Just bc you’re trolling, doesn’t mean your commentary is any less relevant. Trolling can be more insightful because the poster is less constrained. I have worked for gay civil rights. All these posts show how gay groups are more concerned about arguing amongst themselves than their own rights.
When trying to gain support for your movement, you should think about what would work, and not base your actions on some lost ideal.
The argument that followed my candid assertion has illustrated the negative effect these types of events have.
I am absolutely nauseated by the terrifyingly offensive comments on this article and am in disbelief that so many of them come from gays.
Drag queens are symbols of defiance to heteronormativity, which is what causes homophobia and discrimination against the LGBT community. For decades, drag queens have been symbols of LGBT pride and icons of freedom.
And we will not be swept under the rug by members of the LGBT community who are ashamed of us.
THIS. THANK YOU. There’s still plenty of homophobia out there (as evidenced by the comments of this article… never read the comments…). It’s not like they’re all dressing in drag on a random day of support; they’re dressing in drag for a drag show! It DOES challenge heteronormativity, and I think it’s an awesome way to show support.
Don’t listen to the haters. This is awesome. This message brought to you by: a gay man.
the message i think this event sends is positive. if you can go and see your straight friends act in the MOST EXTREMELY gay way possible, and you find it entertaining, why shouldn’t you find it entertaining when a gay guy does it? and by extension, why are gays any different than straights? this tells people they arent.
…..
What does ‘MOST EXTREMELY GAY’ mean? And why?’
I was really hoping this event would actually be tolerant, that I would be wrong. I wasn’t. This is exactly why it’s dumb as hell.
Is it really necessary to have this drag show? How about remembering that everyone is a human being and deserves to be treated as you would want to be treated? Isn’t it possible to make meaningful connections with people who happen to be gay, on aspects of their life that don’t center on their sexuality?
I think so.
When are we going to get drag queens to dress up as frat douches for charity?
This event sounds pretty gay
I am really proud of you guys. My Greek life at FSU is so important to me. Because when I got outed 20 years ago on campus my Sigma Pi brothers rallied around me and let me know that they did not care. It was true brotherhood. Spence Klein is still one of the most amazing men in my life, and that is a very high bar to reach. I would not be the man I am today were it not for him.
A drag show is a fun idea, but I can see where the pushback on this is: 1) straight frat dudes will probably not make great drag queens, let’s be real, 2) it’s weird that this is like The Event that the Greek community would choose to “reach out” to the LGBT community, because of the camp factor.
I’m a gay GW alumnus and I think this is hilarious and fantastic. Nice to see. To anybody offended…lighten up. Drag is fun and absurd, why can’t straight frat guys do it up? Gays don’t own fun. Fun is for everyone. Go gee dub!
I think the problem that people don’t understand is that the LGBT community it way too diverse to be condensed into any one “umbrella” event. That being said, drag is one facet of the community that is also very entertaining. Even though it may not represent every person who identifies as LGBT, it is totally an appropriate way to invite people, like the members of Greek organizations, to partake in something that is a part of our community. It may not be the part of the LGBT community you identify with, but it still an important aspect.
Personally, I’m a gay man and I would feel very uncomfortable in drag, and I have not desire to ever try dressing in drag. At the same time, I recognize that drag is a part of the the larger community I identify with and I’m proud to see the fraternity brothers at this school so willing explore a part of LGBT community.
Drag performers are artists. They’re entertaining because of their talent.
A drag show isn’t laughing at the fact that men are dressed up as women. I don’t know what a show like that would be called, but I can understand why LGBTs, drag queens, women, and other queers would be offended by it.
I don’t like anything about this event. I’m offended by Allied in Pride and the members of the Greek community partaking in this. So what if they’re raising money. I don’t really want a bunch of people pregaming a charity event where people (regardless of their orientation and political leaning) are making a joke of drag.
I would first like to state that I think the intentions behind this event are not only well-intentioned, but something the Greek Community should have done a long time ago. We need to break out of the stereotype of exclusivity when it comes to sexuality.
While I hope that this does not happen, I also hope that any new member or pledge coerced into participating against their will has the courage to bring up their chapter on hazing charges. That being said, I commend anyone participating of their own free will for trying to show that we are open to new ideas.
It is hard for me to believe that, in this day and age, it is necessary to be having a discussion about gay community members feeling comfortable! Everyone in every GDub community should feel comfortable expressing who they are. And everyone should accept them! Who doesn’t have gay friends, family, and classmates? Frat boys aren’t animals and members of the LGBT community should be welcomed to participate if they desire just like their non-LBGT friends. Besides the obvious social outlet, frats offer brotherhood between men, no matter what their sexual orientation. In addition, they have the highest GPA’s in most universities across the country and most often hold “non-Greek” leadership positions across campuses.
The Frats planned the event in conjunction with Allied in Pride which says to me that there was an outstretched hand from both sides. By doing this, the frats will not be laughing at the LGBT community, but with them! It sounds like a step in the right direction.
There’s a reason they get those positions on campus. When you can have the blind loyalty and votes of a large faction on campus without needing to campaign it makes getting votes easier.
And just because Allied is backing it doesn’t magically make it not offensive. If the Black Student Union hosted a minstrel show it would still be terribly offensive
You have a right to feel this way. I can see why you might find it offensive. But many comments made here really bashed the frats. Maybe you can make an effort to be more accepting? It goes both ways.
The point is that the frats did not co-sponsor this event to make fun of anyone. It is an EFFORT to make everyone feel welcome. It seems you and others may not be open to the gesture.
There is a gulf of difference between my descriptions of frats and how they are about to make a minstrel show out of the LBGT community. My descriptions of problems with frats are based on actual events (hearing of hazing problems in frats, frat members openly discriminating against other Greek groups in open conversations, etc). If any other organization took half of the actions that Greek Life gets away with they would be banned from campus, and likely the members would face suspension.
Intent is not the issue here. Again, if the Black Student Union decided to host a minstrel show, complete with blackface and everything, would that make it less offensive? The point is this is on its face a bad idea
MINSTREL SHOWS WERE FUNDED, PAID FOR AND PERFORMED BY (mostly) WHITE MEN TO EXPLOIT AND UNDERMINE BLACK INTELLIGENCE… DRAG SHOWS ARE A CULTURAL EXPRESSION BY THE GAY COMMUNITY TO DEFY THE STANDARDS OF HETERONORMATIVITY
THIS COMPARISON IS SO STUPID
HAH….Gaaaay!
Yes because all people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered spend all of their time acting stereotypically queer. It’s an insult that such a stereotype exists and it’s even more offensive that some part of the LGBT community on campus and the local fraternities thought that stereotype was a good idea to adopt.
All this will accomplish is alienating every gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc., that isn’t a flamboyant stereotype.
Im still not sure if this is empowering or just perpetuating stereotypes, but:
a) I find it reassuring that Allied in Pride helped plan it.
b) This is MUCH better than those poorly thought out “Gay for a Day” t-shirts
I think you’re all screwballs.
RAIDS RAIDS RAIDS
To all of those of you who are against this event because you believe that is increasing stereotypes and you think there are better ways to do this then please send Allied a message. Allied would absolutely love to know any ideas that you have. We are not trying to increase stereotypes and I think everyone should understand that is not the goal here. For years it has been hard for people who identify as LGBT in the Greek community. I do not think one event will change it entirely but it is a step in the right direction. Collaboration between IFC, Panhel, and Allied in Pride to make any event this big happen is a huge step. I am a out and proud lesbian and I obviously know not every gay out there is a drag queen. I also know the event will be enjoyable and a great event. Every person in the auditorium will be at a proLGBT event and some of those people may have never been to one before. If you are proLGBT and say that is a bad thing then I do not understand. We want more people to be proLGBT.
Back to my main point though, Allied is always trying to think of ideas for events to help both LGBT members and allies and if you have any ideas for events please send Allied in Pride a message. We do have events trying to get gays and allies to meet on a normal basis. We do focus on that but we also want to focus on a more supporting environment for all LGBT member on campus and some of those are in Greek organizations.
When I read this article, I wasn’t sure how to feel. I thought it was great that the fraternity community is trying to reach out and show support for gay guys (especially because I grew up thinking that I would never want to be a part of a frat just because I was gay). I also think it’s wonderful that they are raising money for charity, especially a pro-LGBT charity, although I wish they had chosen a better one.
That said, I wish that they had chosen a different type of event. It’s one thing to have “legitimate” drag queens who regularly perform come and have the fraternities go see it. It’s a completely different thing to have brothers themselves actually be in the show, and I think this is where the issue lies. Drag is something that is unique to the gay world and is often a way for gay people to have stars or shows that they can go see without having to worry about heteronormativity or homophobia. Additionally, I’m afraid that the show is just going to devolve into stereotypes of both gay people and women. Another aspect is this is not inclusion of gay people into the fraternity community, but rather, inclusion of fraternity brothers into the gay community.
I really think that there could have been other ways to promote inclusion of gay people in the fraternity community that gets the point across and is still fun.
People really need to calm down. This seems like a great idea to create a more accepting community as a whole at GW. If you are LGBT and you don’t like drag shows or think they’re meant to be taken “seriously” (which historically most weren’t), then don’t go, and have fun trolling GW Hatchet articles.
well said. This is supposed to be a fun event that will raise tons of money for a great cause. Everybody, get the stick out of your ass…. no pun intended
Hey allied, what about a charity flag football game? That raises awareness about many of the gay athletes that suffer in all levels of the sport. But no, that wouldn’t have been outrageous enough.
This is a disgrace. A drag show perpetuates stereotypes and makes it more difficult for gay men who are “more masculine” to come out. The people who are saying that it isn’t a big deal will never understand how much harder drag and the stereotypes that the gay community perpetuates make it for someone to be honest with their friends and loved ones. Google “gay pride” and look what comes up, it’s not exactly a positive image.