Who We Are
Landyn is a trans-identified freshman student at Chapman University. In addition to being a Public Relations and Advertising major, he is an artist and queer activist.
As Development Director and Graphic Designer, Landyn is a key driving force behind Trans Student Equality Resources (TSER), an organization that works to end trans discrimination in education. His infographics on topics such as trans terminology, youth and safe school statistics, and visibility have acquired millions of views on notable blogs and websites such as Buzzfeed, Upworthy, and Mic.com. Landyn is a Trans 100 2014 Honoree. |
Emma is a cisgender identified freshman student at Chapman University where she is a Visual Art major and a new member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She is a member of the Miss America Organization and is the current reigning Miss Tustin. She is a former Girl Scout of 13 years and has been involved in philanthropic school clubs such as the California Scholarship Federation and National Honors Society. She has participated in several independent art shows including Art-A-Fair in Laguna and the Downtown LA Art Walk. She plans to double major in Biology and become a doctor. |
Why we are choosing to explore this topic
At our school, Chapman University, a very large percentage of students are involved in Greek Life. In the beginning of the school year, two large events happen: fraternity rush for men and sorority recruitment for women. It was interesting to observe the ultra-gendered differences and we began to realize some discrepancies in the system and wanted to explore further.
Landyn: I was first interested in this topic because I originally wanted to rush a fraternity, but was hesitant because I wasn't sure if I could legally join. In high school I always dreamed of being in a fraternity comprised of trans men, butch women, and masculine presenting people, but those don't exist. I then became interested in how other trans men fit into Greek life.
Emma: I always knew I wanted to rush a sorority because of the numerous community service and social opportunities it would provide in college. I had always been involved in women's only organizations who focused on feminist issues, yet only after enrolling in a Queer Critique course did I start to become aware of not only the gender binary, but also the lack of trans-inclusion within gender segregated activities. Being a part of my sorority has given me even more insight into its seclusion and I wanted to explore Greek organizations that weren't traditional.
This project will focus on Greek organizational structure and not on residential placement. Chapman University does not have residential fraternities and sororities.
Landyn: I was first interested in this topic because I originally wanted to rush a fraternity, but was hesitant because I wasn't sure if I could legally join. In high school I always dreamed of being in a fraternity comprised of trans men, butch women, and masculine presenting people, but those don't exist. I then became interested in how other trans men fit into Greek life.
Emma: I always knew I wanted to rush a sorority because of the numerous community service and social opportunities it would provide in college. I had always been involved in women's only organizations who focused on feminist issues, yet only after enrolling in a Queer Critique course did I start to become aware of not only the gender binary, but also the lack of trans-inclusion within gender segregated activities. Being a part of my sorority has given me even more insight into its seclusion and I wanted to explore Greek organizations that weren't traditional.
This project will focus on Greek organizational structure and not on residential placement. Chapman University does not have residential fraternities and sororities.
Greek 101
Rush/recruitment - A several-day event in which sororities and fraternities and prospective members mutually select each other until a bid is given
Chapter - A local branch of a larger, often national or international, society
Bid - An offer to a prospective member from a sorority or fraternity to join the organization
Prospective Member - Someone undergoing rush/recruitment process; May or may not be offered a bid
Active Members - Someone who has already been initiated into a Greek chapter
Traditional Greek - We define traditional Greeks as social organizations who support the gender binary through exclusively male fraternities and exclusively female sororities or fraternities. We want to clarify that this website does not examine business or academic fraternities, which are often co-ed.
Sorority - Women's Greek organization
Fraternity - Men's Greek organization
Frarority - Combination of "fraternity" and "sorority" to describe co-ed or gender neutral Greek organizations
Initiation Documents - Part of the Greek organization's constitution that clarifies terms and conditions for joining the organization
Nationally/Internationally Recognized - To be truly Greek affiliated, organizations must be registered 501(c) non-profits
Chapter - A local branch of a larger, often national or international, society
Bid - An offer to a prospective member from a sorority or fraternity to join the organization
Prospective Member - Someone undergoing rush/recruitment process; May or may not be offered a bid
Active Members - Someone who has already been initiated into a Greek chapter
Traditional Greek - We define traditional Greeks as social organizations who support the gender binary through exclusively male fraternities and exclusively female sororities or fraternities. We want to clarify that this website does not examine business or academic fraternities, which are often co-ed.
Sorority - Women's Greek organization
Fraternity - Men's Greek organization
Frarority - Combination of "fraternity" and "sorority" to describe co-ed or gender neutral Greek organizations
Initiation Documents - Part of the Greek organization's constitution that clarifies terms and conditions for joining the organization
Nationally/Internationally Recognized - To be truly Greek affiliated, organizations must be registered 501(c) non-profits
Trans 101
Queer - An umbrella term that includes members of the LGBT community
Preferred Gender Pronouns - It is always important to ask a person for their preferred gender pronouns (or PGPs) instead of assuming what gender they identify as. A common gender-neutral pronoun that many queer people use is they/them/theirs.
Gender Identity VS Sexual Identity - Gender identity and sexual identity are two completely different things. At the most basic level gender identity is one's sense of being male, female, neither, both, masculine, feminine, etc. At the most basic level, sexual identity is who one prefers to be sexual with whether it be men, women, people without genders, no one at all, and a whole lot of more complex things.
Transphobia - Discrimination against transgender people
Gender Assigned at Birth - The correct phrases are "assigned female at birth", "assigned male at birth", etc. rather than "was born a man", "female-bodied", etc. This is preferred among the trans community because many view that a certain gender identity is imposed on a person based on the appearance of their genitals at birth. Click here to watch actress Laverne Cox explain this concept on CBS This Morning.
Preferred Gender Pronouns - It is always important to ask a person for their preferred gender pronouns (or PGPs) instead of assuming what gender they identify as. A common gender-neutral pronoun that many queer people use is they/them/theirs.
Gender Identity VS Sexual Identity - Gender identity and sexual identity are two completely different things. At the most basic level gender identity is one's sense of being male, female, neither, both, masculine, feminine, etc. At the most basic level, sexual identity is who one prefers to be sexual with whether it be men, women, people without genders, no one at all, and a whole lot of more complex things.
Transphobia - Discrimination against transgender people
Gender Assigned at Birth - The correct phrases are "assigned female at birth", "assigned male at birth", etc. rather than "was born a man", "female-bodied", etc. This is preferred among the trans community because many view that a certain gender identity is imposed on a person based on the appearance of their genitals at birth. Click here to watch actress Laverne Cox explain this concept on CBS This Morning.