Out on Fraternity Row: Personal Accounts of Being Gay in a College Fraternity: A Collection of Essays Solicited by the Lambda 10 Project

By Lambda 10 Project

Book Overview

In a uncompromising and candid portrait of gay life on campus, more than thirty gay men describe their experiences inside college fraternities, their decision to either come out or keep silent, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555834094
• ISBN13: 9781555834098
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Alyson Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Great Topic!

Ok, so I have to admit - I haven't read this book. I was looking for books about fraternity life to give my younger brother for Christmas and found this one. I was in a sorority in college a got connected with alumnae groups where ever I moved after graduation. I just want to let gay, bi or questioning Greeks know that they are not alone. When I was a senior we had a bi member for my house. She had gone through Recruitment when I was studying else where. I remember coming back to the house and being so glad that my sisters had accepted her enthusiastically. I was a Women Studies major which for a while was a confusing conflict in the eyes of a few of my sisters. After I graduated a new member of my sorority "family" found me on facebook - she said she had heard a lot about me and was really excited to be in the house. I discovered on her profile that she was openly gay and had been that way while going though recruitment. Again, I was very encouraged and surprised by my house. By the time I graduated our house was also about half Latina. I was one of the few blondes in the house at a very predominantly white school. (And no, it was not a house associated with any certain race, ethnicity or particularly open-minded credo) ...in fact it's the very same one that inspired Legally Blonde. Yup - that's our crest and our colors in the opening sequence. One of the main stream fraternities on our campus had an openly gay president when I was a freshman and another openly gay high officer by the time I graduated. I think it has a lot to do with the climate of the campus and it's propensity for open-mindedness. We were at a small liberal arts school where only 16% of the students were Greek.

From the perspective of a Greek, non-gay identifying man,

...reading this book was a great experience. While I can understand the complaints of repetitiveness to a point, I'm not sure that these other reviewers are looking at the right points. There are stories from African Americans in traditional black fraternity houses -- and these experiences are quite different from the traditionally white fraternity experiences. There are experiences from a variety of times, from WWII through the seventies and eighties up to the date of publication. More importantly, the stories are written by men who inhabit places across the entire spectrum of the coming-out experience: Men who were out during college; men who stayed closeted but came out afterwards; men who came out, but never to fraternity brothers (yet); men who are closeted up to the date of publication. This, to me, seems to be the most important aspect of variance in the book. I knew at least four men in my own (small) Greek chapter who are now out, and all of them would be able to find corellaries to their own sundry experiences in this book. It is this variety, this idea that someone else has been where you were or where you are now, that is the most essential -- and in communicating this, the book succeeds admirably. On another front, I would dispute the reviewer who said that the men did not speak much about being in the Catch-22 of "balancing same-sex attraction in an environment of brotherhood"; skimming the book before me, I easily find over a half-dozen stories that address this. Finally, I am sorry that some see the Greek system as elitist and exclusive in nature. I know that not all have a positive experience with the Greek system. However, I had a terrible experience with Little League Baseball; this does not make it a terrible institution. I see the entire Greek system -- where many of the leaders of tomorrow are nurtured -- as the perfect place to begin to enact change for the better. This book aids this change process, by opening all eyes to what was previously, and to many may still be, a hidden reality. The fact is, these men are here, they're queer, and we in the Greek system are lucky to have them.

GREAT RESOURCE FOR THE GREEK SYSTEM

I disagree with "Reader" who chose to remain unknown to the outside world. It takes a brave person who comes to terms with the true identity that lies within. Yes, fraternities can be and are sometimes homophobic. Change usually happens best when it comes from within the ranks. You can't truly criticize someone until you have walked in their shoes. I appreciate what the young men in this book have done. They have taken a step forward to make a difference and to share it with others.Also, "Reader" should learn a little bit about proofing his review next time. Bittnerness is not pretty, life is too short!

Excellent book for all Greeks, gay or straight!

If you've ever been in a fraternity, you know how hard it is to hide something so important about yourself from your brothers. This book shares many different stories of staying in and coming out of the closet. It touches on the Human aspect of life in a fraternity house. Very good resources and suggestions are provided in the Appendix as well.

My eyes have been opened!

Having not been affiliated with any fraternal organization during my college years, I did not hold fraternities with any high regard. Coming to terms with one's sexuality is difficult enough, but I couldn't possibly begin to comprehend doing so in a Greek environment. Therefore, "Out on Fraternity Row" was an extremely interesting read not only for being allowed to share in the personal struggles of the authors of this anthology, but to see how the brotherhood found in fraternities can have a lasting effect on these individuals lives. From the author who not only had to combat homophobia, but also his struggle with being deaf to the gentleman whose questioning sexuality was during the height of World War II - this book has a sincerity and eloquence about it. The stories range in tone from the wonderfully positive to the disturbingly negative. Whether one agrees with the Greek system and what it stands for or not, I highly recommend this book to anyone with preconceived notions of fratenities and the men within them.