Following an explosive piece by GLAAD reporting that Alpha Phi Alpha is considering banning transgender people, many people have weighed.
The Thursday report, written by journalist and activist Tre’vell Anderson, claims that Alpha Phi Alpha is looking to amend its bylaws to exclude transgender people. The nearly 118-year-old fraternity will allegedly make membership possible only to “any male defined as a human being naturally born male, who remains and continually identifies as a male.” GLAAD confirmed this verbiage through a copy of the draft. Several Alpha fellows have voiced concern that the organization would operate unfairly if it enforced this bylaw.
“If we allow certain discriminations, we have to allow for all of them,” explained member Matthew Shaw, assistant professor of law at Vanderbilt Law School and assistant professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt Peabody College.
Another Alpha who spoke with GLAAD on the condition of anonymity declared, “It doesn’t sit well with me that a white man can be a member of Alpha, this historic Black institution, with no problem, but we’re going to tell Black trans men that they can’t.”
Many social media users have made similar observations, while also calling out Alpha Phi Alpha for allowing toxic masculinity while ostracizing the trans community. However, a handful of others believe the move should be accepted without pushback. If Alpha Phi Alpha adds the ban, it’s unknown how quickly it will go into effect. The fraternity has not yet responded to the report.
https://twitter.com/JamxBears/status/1811599036027208142
https://twitter.com/JamxBears/status/1811599036027208142
