Lambda 10 Project National Clearinghouse for LGBT Fraternity & Sorority Issues

Rushed openly gay and didn’t get in? The Lambda 10 Project (http://www.lambda10.org/gaygreek) wants to hear about it. Came out to fraternity brothers or sorority sisters and received acceptance? Spill the details. The good, the bad and the “oh, no, they didn’t!” all have a place in the organization’s upcoming research project to share the experiences of LGBT fraternity and sorority members.

Why a research project? Because lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) fraternity and sorority members, both active and alumni, have long been invisible. The Lambda 10 Project’s national study will explore the LGBT experience within fraternities and sororities with the goal of developing educational resources and advancing further research that will assist fraternities and sororities in creating safer, more inclusive environments for their LGBT brothers and sisters.

“We know fraternity and sorority life for LGBT students is dramatically different today than it was ten years ago,” said Lambda 10 Project co-founder and coordinator Shane Windmeyer, a national speaker who has edited three popular gay books about life in college fraternities and sororities. “But what exactly has changed, and what problems remain? Those are the questions we need answered.”

To get answers, the Lambda 10 Project today issued an official call for participation in the upcoming study. The organization seeks undergraduate and alumni fraternity and sorority members who happen to be LGBT, along with LGBT students who have some sort of experience, positive or negative, with a fraternity or sorority. The assessment goes live in mid-February to mid-March. All responses will be kept confidential and anonymous. Anyone who fits the research criteria may take the assessment; complete information can be found at http://www.lambda10.org/gaygreek. All members of the Lambda 10 Project FREE membership community will receive reminders about the launch date of the study.

Led by Pennsylvania State University’s Sue Rankin, a scholar and researcher on LGBT experiences in the campus environment, the survey, which coincides with the Lambda 10 Project’s tenth anniversary, is the first-ever formal study of its kind and has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board at Pennsylvania State University. The results will be compared to those of the informal assessment “A Glimpse at the Invisible Membership: A national survey of Lesbigay Greeks,” conducted by Douglas N. Case, a longtime fraternity and sorority professional. Case’s study, published in 1995, provided the first comprehensive view of sexual orientation issues within college fraternities and sororities.

“This study will look back on the issues Case covered a decade ago, with additional questions to gather new data that will help us to better lead educational efforts for men and women in fraternities and sororities,” Rankin explained. “The quantifiable, reliable data we gather will serve as a starting point for ongoing education, policymaking and research efforts. Our shared vision is that one day, there will be no invisible LGBT members of the college fraternity or sorority. Each of us will have a welcome place among the brotherhood or sisterhood.”

About the Panel
Researchers from across the country have compiled the Lambda 10 Project study. All are current or former faculty or staff members at large universities and have professional experience in higher education with LGBT student issues and, or Fraternity/Sorority Life issues. Along with Rankin, the team includes Case at San Diego State University; Windmeyer of the Lambda 10 Project; Grahaeme A. Hesp at Florida State University; Chuck Eberly at Eastern Illinois University; George Miller of Delta Sigma Phi National Fraternity; and Billy Molasso at Northern Illinois University.

About the Lambda 10 Project
Since 1995, the Lambda 10 Project has served as a clearinghouse for educational resources and materials related to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression in the college fraternity and sorority experience. The organization was founded by Pamela W. Freeman and Shane L. Windmeyer, one of the nation’s foremost educators and speakers on issues of sexual orientation and fraternity and sorority life. To celebrate a decade of advocacy, Lambda 10 launched a newly redesigned website on September 15, 2005.

PRESS INQUIRIES & MEDIA OPPS: To inquire about interviews or other media opportunities, please contact Shane L. Windmeyer with the Lambda 10 Project by calling (704) 277-6710 or shane@lambda10.org.

MORE INFORMATION: Details about the “Experiences of LGBT Fraternity & Sorority Members” assessment can be found online at www.lambda10.org/gaygreek along with the findings of the 1995 informal assessment titled “A Glimpse at the Invisible Membership: A national survey of Lesbigay Greeks,” conducted by Douglas N. Case.

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