Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun

15 Not on My Line

291 15 not on my line attitudes about homosexuality in black Fraternities Alan D. DeSantis and Marcus Coleman No issue is more controversial or taboo in black fraternities than male homosexuality . As John, a third-year brother and business major, remarked, “That shit is just wrong, you know. you can’t bring that shit anywhere near us. No, no, no, no.” For John and the other brothers we interviewed, homosexuality in their fraternal ranks challenges their fundamental ideas about brotherhood, loyalty, trustworthiness, and, most importantly, masculinity. Although there has been no published research on the attitudes of black fraternity members toward homosexuality, there is compelling evidence that the black community is more homophobic than its white counterpart.1 A number of scholars have found that blacks are more likely than whites to view homosexual relations as wrong and immoral. Similarly, Lisa Schulte found that blacks were more willing than whites to express negativity toward gays and lesbians.2 These differences can best be accounted for by white-black religious and educational differences. Beliefs about homosexuality and support for gay rights varysubstantiallybyreligionandbytheintensityofreligiousfeeling.Disapproval is highest among those who attend religious services frequently, who pray often, and who view religion as important in their lives.3 Blacks are substantially more religious and are more likely to adopt a fundamental interpretation of the Bible thanwhitesare.4 Educationalsoseemstohaveasignificantimpactonwhite-black attitudinal differences about homosexuality. Higher educational levels have been showntoresultingreateracceptanceofdifferences,amoreliberalsexualattitude, morecontactwithgaysandlesbians,andaheightenedsenseofdemocraticvalues andcivilliberties.5 Blacksareonlytwo-thirdsaslikelyaswhitestobecollegegraduates .6 The available research, however, tells us only in broad demographic strokes howthegeneralblackpopulationfeelsabouthomosexuality.Whatwedonotknow is how certain segments of the black community conceive of homosexuality and whether their attitudes result in discriminatory practices. Our specific concern here is how homosexuality is viewed by black frater- 292 DeSantis and Coleman nity members and whether these attitudes result in the exclusion of potential members. The importance of understanding the attitudes and actions of this specific subsegment of black culture is underscored when one considers the disproportionate economic and political power wielded by the members of these organizations. Their beliefs and judgments have ramifications that permeate far beyond the fraternity and into the seats of cultural and social decision making.7 We used two methods of gathering data. First, we conducted eighteen faceto -face, audiotaped interviews with thirteen student and five alumni members of the four oldest black fraternities—Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, and Phi Beta Sigma.8 All members were active brothers affiliated with one of three educational institutions in the South: a primarily white state university, a primarily black state university, and a historically black state university. Sincethistopicisfraughtwithlegalandconfidentialityconcerns,theauthors and the interviewees agreed to a series of guidelines designed to protect the latter’s anonymity. Consequently, the interviewees in this study were assigned pseudonyms; their organizations, when the nature of the interviews allowed, were referred to by arbitrary, noncorresponding Greek letters (Beta, Gamma, Eta, and Theta)9 ; and their affiliated universities were ascribed arbitrary, noncorresponding roman numerals (University I, II, and III). Additionally, any third-party names or identifying events that might jeopardize the anonymity of our subjects were changed or removed. Finally, to facilitate the readability of this chapter and to avoid needless repetition within the text, only the subjects’ pseudonyms are referenced. See table 15.1 for each interviewee’s pseudonym and fraternity and university affiliation. We also gathered data through an online questionnaire soliciting the opinions of black fraternity brothers from around the nation.10 An invitation to the Listserv was sent to the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) national Listserv , where members were encouraged to share the invitation with other NPHC members. respondents to this questionnaire had the choice of either sending their answers to a groupwide Listserv, which was maintained and monitored by us, or e-mailing their responses directly to us. We received sixteen completed, thoughtful, and highly credible questionnaires from members of black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs).11 Although subjects were not asked to disclose any personal or demographic information, four of the sixteen respondents voluntarily told us that they were homosexual; two are openly gay; two are covertly gay. All four admitted, however, to “passing ” as heterosexual men while pledging. Although the online questionnaire format inhibited our ability to engage in Not on My Line 293 extended conversational exchanges with our subjects, it afforded certain other advantages. First, since no names or demographic information (e.g., fraternity or university affiliation, regional location, age) was...