Still Pissed About Zeta Phi Beta Banning Trans Women

I've had a week to think about what happened, and like my Black trans sisters around the country I'm still pissed off about the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc trans ban.

I'm upset not only because this came out of left field, but the news broke as a Black trans woman was beaten in Dallas.

As for the cis folks trying to deflect this outright trans discrimination by saying that we trans people should form our own sororities, or not 'force ourselves into Zeta Phi Beta', miss me with that noise. Saying that smacks of the same separate but unequal song we've heard sung during Jim Crow segregation.

Yes, we Black trans women could (and have) .created our own sorority. But they wouldn't have the gravitas of a Divine Nine one and would take decades to get to that level.   

Two of the four D9 sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta, are over a century old. The other two, Zeta Phi Beta and Sigma Gamma Rho, are approaching their centennial years in 2020 and 2022

The Divine Nine sororities are organizations that collectively have over 500, 000 professional Black and other non-Black cis women in the USA, Canada and around the world in their ranks.  

Divine Nine sorority member are involved in business, sports, media, entertainment, science and technology, the military, politics and government at all levels.  The D9 national and regional conventions are sought after by civic convention bureaus across the country. 

Their national and regional conventions also serve as networking events for their members. .

My mom, sister and several cousins are AKAs. I grew up in a neighborhood surrounded by the pretty girls that wear 20 pearls.   I read my mom's Ivy Leaf magazines when she was done with them. 

When I lived at home I drove Mom to her chapter sorority meetings, and I'm well versed in the history and traditions of. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.  My late godmother was a Sigma Gamma Rho, and I have friends and colleagues I have mad love and respect for in all the D9 sororities.
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But which one would I have pledged if the opportunity had presented itself?    I probably would have pledged AKA.   But there was one problem.  When I was in college, I wasn't in the right body to be considered for membership.

Back to discussing the Zeta trans ban.   It's bull feces, it reeks of transphobia  and is extremely infuriating.  There is no justification for banning qualified out Black trans women who are down with the culture and history of D9 sororities.   If it is that trans woman's wish to join and be part of writing their next chapters of service and legacy to the Black community , that trans woman should have the option of doing so, and the chapter in question should have the option of accepting her as a member or not..

What pisses Black Trans World off even more is knowing that  Zeta Phi Beta bans trans women, but would have no problem admitting a qualified white cis women or other non Black cis woman in their sacred circles.   But since you made it clear you don't want us, your loss.    You'll miss out on some amazing women that another D9 sorority will hopefully be wise enough to admit into their ranks

The ban is not only ignorant on its face, it is discriminatory and dehumanizing.   It also sends a negative message to us and Black trans feminine kids that trans people aren't wanted by your organization that claims to be diverse and welcoming. 

The Zeta Phi Beta trans ban not only makes TERF's and evilgelicals smile, it also reinforces the stereotype that Black cis people are more transphobic and homophobic than other ethnic groups.
The sad part is I know some amazing people who are members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.   And news flash for you transphobes,  some of them are trans. 

I hope the people who support us inside the organization are doing what they can to point out just how transphobic and disastrous this looks to the outside world.

Zeta Phi Beta Goes Transphobe

We need you Divine Nine sororities to state one way or the other that either yes, we recognize trans women as the women you are and would love to have you join us if you qualify for membership or no, we don't want you even if you do qualify so we know where you stand.-TransGriot 
'Do You Want Trans Women In Your Ranks Or Not, Divine Nine Sororities?'
July 7, 2017
Been saying for a while that Black Greek Letter Organizations need to step up and decide  once and for all what their policies will be when it comes to transgender people, and we now know which way Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc was leaning.

They decided to roll with transphobia.

Back on January 12 according to reporting by the Washington Blade, the sorority's International Executive Board adopted a 'diversity statement' that states a prospective member 'must be a cisgender woman' to join the organization.   

Translation:  No trans women need apply to join Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

It then hypocritically says that Zeta Phi Beta 'values all people, regardless of race, age, gender, gender expression, ability, disability, creed, religion or walk of life'.

This problematic move comes as more HBCU's are making positive changes to their enrollment policies to accommodate transgender students.

So we now know where Zeta Phi Beta stands when it comes to trans women potentially becoming members of their sorority, and it's their loss. 

As I have said repeatedly, trans women aren't going away or back in the closet.   The 'finer womanhood' you claim you wish to build also includes trans women who may be down with the mission of Zeta Phi Beta.

But you'll never know that, because you've barred tras women from joining.    That's not only not cool, but it reinforces to the world once again the false narrative that Black people are 'more transphobic '

Happy 111th Anniversary AKA!

Couldn't let today pass without showing some love to all the women in my life who are the pretty girls that wear 20 pearls and proudly wear the salmon pink and apple green color of Alpha kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 

Those women include my mother and sister.  There were more than a few times I had to drive her to her sorority meetings and read her Ivy Leaf magazines when she was done with them.

As the first sorority created by and for African American women back on the Howard University campus on January 15, 1908, they have grown from that campus to become a worldwide organization of over 200,000 college educated women.

AKA women have and continue to blaze trails in a variety of professional fields from business, medicine, science, education, sports, the media and politics as they role model their 'Service to All Mankind' sorority motto.

Happy Founders' Day Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.!     

Do You Want Trans Women In Your Ranks Or Not, Divine Nine Sororities?

I would hope that if a qualified #girllikeus decided she was down with the historic mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta, or Sigma Gamma Rho. loved that sorority's history, was qualified to be a member, and wanted to be a part of building their legacy for a new century of service she would be invited to do so and not disrespectfully turned away
-TransGriot,  December 5, 2012  

I've been talking about this subject for over a decade on this blog concerning the need for the Divine Nine sororities to emulate the evolutionary steps they took in admitting Latina, Asian, white, bi and lesbian women in their ranks and consider finally admitting trans women.

It's highly likely there are non disclosed trans members of Divine Nine sororities right now, but I would like to see out trans women have the ability and the option become available if they desire to do so to join. .

I would rather they do this unilaterally because as they realized in admitting Latina, Asian, white , Bi and lesbian women, it was the right thing to do.  Because if you as organizations claim to embrace all women, then by default all women includes transgender women as well

I'm bringing this subject up again because DL Hughley's wannabe Que Dog behind was stoking the hellfire flames of transphobic bigotry yesterday by posing the question should trans women be allowed to join Delta Sigma Theta or by extension, any of the Divine Nine sororities?

The resulting comment thread as you probably guessed was a festering pustule of transphobia.

That's a problem because these four iconic and historic Greek letter organizations, with nearly a million members worldwide and over a century of service and achievement on behalf of our Black community, comprise the largest organized group of professional college educated Black women in the world.

Divine Nine sorority members are prominent in the fields of business, government, legal, medical, media, sports, the arts and the armed forces, and it's troubling to me as the child and sibling of AKA's that elements of the Divine NIne are sounding like white TERF's when it comes to discussing transgender women.

That's a major problem for Black trans women and our Black cis feminine allies that we need to address right now.  .

So let's get this salient point established right now.  Trans women exist, trans women are women, some trans women are college educated, and are an undeniably intertwined part of the Black community.   Black trans women have been standing up for yours, theirs and everybody's human rights for decades in addition to being trailblazing members of the trans community

We are not only handling our business in being the best people that we can be, we are doing our part to uplift Black womanhood and be the intersectional allies and sisters that you can rely on.

And yes,.trans kids exist, and news flash for y'all, some of those trans kids matriculating in elementary, middle school and high school classrooms across this country are Black.

Some of those amazing trans kids in our ranks will eventually go on to attend college.  It is also possible that some of those kids, like I did, are growing up under the positive influence of members of a Divine Nine sorority, are down with the mission of that particular sorority, and as a result of their positive interactions with that Divine Nine sorority elder would love to join.

The question you'll  have to answer is will you turn that trans feminine child away like every other institution in society is doing to that trans feminine child right now?   Will you Divine Nine sororities and elements of your membership send the message to her (and her trans feminine non-Greek elders) that you're rejecting her femininity and her existence by not including her in your esteemed ranks?

What we need to hear from you right now or in the near future Divine Nine sororities is an unequivocal answer to that question.  

We need you Divine Nine to state one way or the other that either yes, we recognize trans women as the women you are and would love to have you join us if you qualify for membership or no, we don't want you even if you do qualify so we know where you stand.

The reality is you'll have to make that choice sooner or later because Black trans women aren't going away, and we're not going to stop asking this question.  
 

Divine Nine Sororities, Are You Open To Trans Women Joining?

Because of my elder stateswoman status in the trans community and this blog I'm blessed to have, I do get my fair share of inquiries from trans people about various issues that affect us.

Sometimes it's just a person looking for advice. Another time it may be someone needing just a kind word from somebody who has been down the road they are traveling. 

And far too often it's from another African descended trans woman frustrated about being the lone POC in a predominately white group and feeling marginalized as a member of it.. 

Last night I engaged in a Facebook chat with a young African-American trans woman who is in college.  She has been transitioned for almost a decade, is interested in fulfilling her dream of pledging a Divine Nine sorority and asked me if it was feasible to do so.

That was a good question that I asked in a March 21, 2007 post. 

So that begs the question. If the Divine Nine sororities embrace all women, does that include myself and other transwomen as well?

It's a valid question because those four sororities have over a half million members and have already embraced Latina, Asian and White women as members.   They are powerful professional organizations within the African-American community, have a rich history and legacy, have international reach and count as members accomplished women in business, government, entertainment, sports, the arts, the armed forces and the media 

I implored the various sororities to get ahead of the curve on the issue of trans membership while they can do so on their terms because with kids transitioning at earlier ages, this issue was going to crop up sooner or later. 

Now in December 2012, that issue may be at hand.

So what was my answer to that trans woman in question?   I gave her a 'it depends' response.

It depends on the organization, the particular chapter on the college campus you pledge at, how open minded the members of that chapter are, the region of the country and their attitudes about #girlslikeus .   

Maybe these sororities already have trans women in their ranks that I'm not aware of.   Maybe these organizations have begun at the national leadership level quietly going about the work of opening their doors to trans women as they have previously done  with our lesbian and bi sisters  

But that uncertainty about where each Divine Nine sorority stands on the question of admitting trans women doesn't give me the confidence to tell a young trans woman dreaming about proudly wearing the Greek letters of those orgs and their colors yes or no about pledging one.  

I'm happy to report she's determined and tough minded enough to do it anyway.

I would hope that if a qualified #girllikeus decided she was down with the historic mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta or Sigma Gamma Rho, loved that sorority's history, was qualified to be a member, and wanted to be a part of building their legacy for a new century of service she would be invited to do so and not disrespectfully turned away.  

TransGriot Note:  The photo of the sorority dolls in this post is from Trinity Designs