A few months ago, Sig Ep announced that it was making the move to include transgender men as eligible for membership, which is freaking awesome. But another national fraternity, Alpha Sigma Phi, had actually made this move in 2004, instituting “inclusiveness” as one of their foundations. And now, one of their chapters has a transgender president: Daniel Ginn at Northern Kentucky University.
In a profile on Cincinnati.com,Daniel discusses growing up feeling as though he was a man in a woman’s body, and how he finally felt comfortable enough in NKU’s inclusive environment to make the decision to transition. Daniel has since flourished at NKU as a student and a leader. It’s a beautiful story, and one made even more amazing by his decision to join a fraternity.
From Cincinnati.com:
The idea of a brotherhood was very appealing to me. But I was worried at first that maybe I wasn’t ‘guy’ enough. So I made it clear to everyone that it is very important that we have to make it inclusive and welcoming. I have a lot of trans friends who’d like to be Greek.
So when Alpha Sigma Phi colonized on the campus last spring, it seemed to be the perfect fit, and Daniel was selected as a founding member. His brothers chose him as membership education director, and when the chapter’s president resigned suddenly this August, he was elected president. While some less opened-minded people may theorize that having a transgendered person as a member, much less as president, could hurt a fraternity’s recruitment numbers, that was not the case this fall. Ginn’s chapter increased their membership by 60 percent.
While Daniel could go “incognito” and not share his story, he chooses to do so in an effort to help others. He says, “I see people struggling even as I’m open with myself. People out there need to hear these stories. I think I could help others.”
Alpha Sigma Phi’s motto is “To Better The Man.” But it sounds like Daniel is already pretty great..
[via Cincinnati.com]
Image via Facebook / Cincinnati.com
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, and documenting her love of all things cheese related. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
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