Alpha Chi Omega – You’re Wrong About Your Stance On Accepting “Anyone Who Identifies As A Woman.” And Here’s Why.

Yesterday, I woke up to a text message from my best friend from undergraduate school…we also happen to be sorority sisters.  She was letting me know about the Alpha Chi Omega National President Angela Costley Harris and this “inclusivity” statement circulating on social media (EDIT: The video has been changed so you can only see it on Vimeo for some reason. You’ll have to click on the blue button in the middle to watch it. It’s only a minute and a half):

[arve url=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/204575118″]

Let’s unpack this, shall we?

Alpha Chi Omega, a sorority for women – my sorority – established in 1885, is now saying that we’ll be accepting anyone and everyone who merely identifies as a woman, “regardless of their gender assigned at birth.”  This means that a biological male can now be accepted into my sorority, as long as that male feeeeeeels like a chick.  You know – that day, that month…that year.  Whatever.  It’s all about how one identifies these days, after all.  It has nothing to do with Actual Biology. Or what the Founders of the organization wanted, frankly.

That’s what Alpha Chi Omega’s official stance is now.  And since Alpha Chi is one of the bigger national sororities, I assume that other sororities will follow suit.  Because people, for the most part, are spineless sheep these days.

Politically. Correct. Sheep.

And along that politically-correct vein, the response to this has been half and half, from positive to negative, but I know for a fact that the sisters who disagree with this are less likely to say anything.  After all, women in this country are afraid to say, “wow, that’s wack” for fear of backlash from the Politically Incorrect Police.  Being politically correct and not saying anything at all – shaking your head all nicey-nice is just way easier than facing backlash in this day and age.  Lord forbid you’re called “intolerant” on social media.

The horror.

Keep in mind this “inclusivity statement” comes in the same month as Yale’s Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity was forced to have women at their rush parties, because a group called Engender decided that “single-sex organizations fostered unhealthy concepts of otherness.”

“Unhealthy concepts of otherness?”  Let me translate that for you in social justice terms:  “Hi, we’re Engender, and we don’t want anyone else having fun, so we’re going to sh*t all over your parade and attempt to shut you down.”

So, women went to their rush parties (because of course), and I’ll just assume this is just the beginning of the end for frats at Yale if Engender continues their witch hunt of said rush parties and frats.  And possibly other universities, too. Because again – social freaking justice.  And listen – in my mind, this is no different than the “inclusivity” that Alpha Chi is engaging in right now.

Women in fraternities?  That’s normal, right?  We should, like, TOTES encourage that, right?

No. NO, we shouldn’t.  And we don’t have to.

As I recall, we didn’t have any strippers as members, and I had to meet academic requirements to be a member.   Because we (used to) have standards of membership.   So, why all of a sudden is it bad to have a standard of, you know, being an actual woman to be an actual member?

Let’s get real here, folks.  The “inclusivity” movement is one that forces adults to play with other adults.  It’s a ridiculous movement that tells grown adults, “you are being forced to pick that person for your dodgeball team, and then, you have to like them, too.”   And that notion is about as grown up as making college kids use crayons and Play-doh in college (that’s a bad example, though, because I think kids are doing that these days at universities).  That’s not how the real world works.  You can’t FORCE people to like one another.  Especially in a club situation – which is what a sorority is.

The whole point of clubs is to be non-inclusive.   And that’s precisely what sororities are.  They are non-inclusive clubs. This isn’t a big secret, so why are we trying to change the definition of them for the new generation of snowflakes?  If anything, we should be teaching this generation to quit being such pansies.  They get coddled everywhere else, for crying out loud. Sorority rush is a lovely microcosm for life’s little tests.  You either get in or you don’t.  People like you or they don’t.  You make the cut or you don’t.

Deal with it, buttercup.  But don’t expect to be included just because.

When we talk to a woman during rush parties, we size her up, we decide whether or not we think she’s good enough to be in our club, we judge her based on our standards and if she meets our criteria, then we talk about her behind her back with our sisters and decide whether or not that potential candidate is good enough to be part of our club.  We determine, “do we want to be friends with this person for the next four years, and possibly for the rest of our lives?”

And then it’s “yes to her, or no to her.  Alrighty then.”  This is the way it’s done. If this is news to you, you’ve never been part of the sorority culture.  Or a group of friends, frankly.  (Or you’ve never interviewed for a freaking job.)

It’s a club, y’all.  A club for women.  There are certain entrance requirements.  Certain hoops to jump through.  And you have to be female (or used to, anyway).  I don’t think I can get much clearer than this, but that is the very definition of a sorority.  Having a penis was a disqualifier to anyone with an Actual Brain.  As a former medical writer, that’s me being clinical – not at all cynical.

And biological women are enough to form a club.  But I suppose to some – we simply aren’t.  Just ask all those feminists who are so very, very quiet right now.

(*crickets*)

My mother was an Alpha Chi at Ball State University in the late 60s.  I was what you’d call a legacy.  I pledged in 1989.  Up until yesterday, I looked forward to the day when my 7-year old daughter would possibly rush and maybe pledge one day.  But I can tell you that there is no way on God’s green earth that I want her possibly rooming with someone who has a penis.  I don’t want her going on sisterhood retreats with a possible penis. You can call me intolerant all you want.  You can call me old-fashioned.  You can call me whatever you want.  (I’ve been in this conservative-political-business for the better part of a decade…I have restraining orders, I can honestly take it.)

I know that I’m not the only Alpha Chi who feels the way I do right now – I’m just one of the few who’s willing to write it out loud.  But I know who my friends are, and I know who my maker is.  And my maker gave us each a gender.  He also gave us the ability to form friendships and clubs and associations and affiliations with whom we choose.  There is absolutely zero wrong – ZILCH – with having a club that says, “women only.”  I’m not wrong in wanting to have my daughter have the same types of bonds I have with the women I met back in 1989.

I won’t apologize for wanting to have strong relationships with women. If I’m painted as some sort of a bigot for wanting to be in a club that has women only as its members, then I have a problem with that club.  The time I’ve invested..the loyalty?  The money?  I second-guess it all.

One of my national sisters said it best on Facebook:

“XX = female.  XY = male.

Basic biology. DNA cannot be changed.”

Alpha Chi’s tagline is “Real. Strong. Women.”  What a shame that the national organization feels as though women aren’t enough to celebrate without having to kowtow to squeaky wheels and social justice warriors and political correctness.  What a shame that there are sheep within the organization who also feel this way.

You can change rules, but you can’t change biology.  A sorority doesn’t get to decide this. If Alpha Chi Omega wants to become a co-ed fraternity, so be it.  I suppose they can try. But it changes the dynamic of the fraternity – and it will ultimately change their membership.

It looks like I’ll be recommending lots of brilliant, fabulous young women to other sororities in the Fall.  Other sororities who understand that women are more than enough.