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(review) - Journal of College Student Development 47:5 Journal of College Student Development 47.5 (2006) 593-594


Reviewed by
Patrick Dilley
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Brotherhood: Gay Life in College Fraternities . Shane L. Windmeyer (Ed.). Los Angeles: Alyson Books, 2005, 298 pages, $16.95 (softcover).

Brotherhood: Gay Life in College Fraternities is an important addition to the small number of works detailing lives of nonheterosexual college students. Shane L. Windmeyer has contributed a number of those works, focusing specifically on gay, lesbian and bisexual members of Greek life (e.g., Windmeyer & Freeman, 1998, 2000). One of his goals for this book was to demonstrate changes in fraternity life experiences since the publication of Out on Fraternity Row (Windmeyer & Freeman, 1998), "as well as challenges that still exist today" (p. xvi). Evidence of acceptance of and exhibitions of brotherhood toward nonheterosexual fraternity members are the changes Windmeyer highlighted; indeed, this book offers several examples of inclusion into and development from gay men's membership in national fraternities, including newer national gay fraternities.

Windmeyer's collection of the recollections of gay fraternity men "delves deeper into issues of sexuality and male friendship" than his previous edited collections, "and reveals the truth behind the premise of brotherhood" (p. xvi). The contributors depict the broad range of postsecondary cultures; they hail from across the United States, including schools large and small, public and private. There is also a greatly increased inclusion of voices from diverse ethnicities, and readers searching for such representations will find them in the reflections and photographs of the contributors.

Windmeyer collated the life stories in a seemingly progressive succession. "Inside the Closet" opens the book, focusing on life for those current and former fraternity members who are not or were not open to their fraternities; also included are the experiences of those who were "outed" to their fraternities. The next section reflects one of the changes to fraternity life over the past decade: the concept of "Rushing 'Out'" as an openly gay student. Later life within the fraternities, covered primarily in the third section, centers around "A Question of Love and Loyalty." The final section of the narratives, "Bonds of Acceptance," conveys stories of openly gay men who participate more fully in the social functions of fraternity life. Again, these are stories that would have been practically nonexistent only a decade ago.

The writing in the individual entries is uneven; some are quite reflective and evocative, while others are somewhat simplistic. The best convey the pain, both physical and psychological, of being different in a strictly homogenous society: the recounting of suicide attempts, self-loathing, public intimidation, beatings, and guilt over not being honest is wrenching to read, particularly when considering that these are contemporary accounts. On the other hand, many outstanding chapters do convey something relatively new in higher education literature: acceptance and change within that fraternity society.

From a non-critical perspective, it would seem from these stories and their arrangement as if fraternities are becoming incredibly tolerant, accepting, and progressive. But from the earliest contributions, clearly such acceptance is not universal. Not all of the men feel free enough for publicity: several of the contributors chose to hide their faces from the camera and/or use pseudonyms. This fact is a major irony, as almost all of the men represented in this book wrote of joining (or attempting to join) their fraternities in search [End Page 593] of personal acceptance in society, particularly in a male society.

Sex and romance play prime roles in the lives of these men, which should be no surprise as those concepts are central to student development of all college students. It will probably be more difficult, however, for some readers to understand the positioning of (straight) sexual practices to (gay) identity, how a male student in this day and age could engage in extensive sexual relations with someone of the same gender yet not conclude that one is gay. One of the strengths of this book is its contribution to our growing understanding that sexual practices alone do not determine how individuals...

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