MLE #5 Letter to Zeta Tau Alpha, Alabama Chapter

So for MLE #5 we had the liberty of writing about something that we would do to promote change and influence for the better, I took it as. So as I waited a couple days and when I saw the new Bloomingdale’s 2015 holiday catalog, I was thought that I might write a letter to the big guys at Bloomingdale’s and express my concern for the very strange and concerning ad. However when I shared this story with Professor Nichols, she directed me towards the Bloomingdale’s apology for their very strange and concerning ad.

Over Thanksgiving break something that hit pretty close to home happened. My best friend’s little brother is trans and even though he was born with female body parts he is male because he simply states that he is. An acquaintance of ours whose sibling is friends with my friend’s brother, heard that he now identifies himself as male and that he is “confused.” This rubbed me the wrong way like it does every time when I hear people using the same excuse. It resists accepting the fact that change is good and just because we were not always accepting in the past of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community, does not mean that we have not evolved from such narrow views today.

The mentioned acquaintance is a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha, Alabama Chapter. I know that Greek life performs philanthropic events, and I was curious if Greek life and which sororities/fraternities were accepting of the LGBTQ community. My flaw in my prep research is that even though I know a couple Zeta member’s in various chapters at their respective institutions, I do not know for certain all of the events that they hold and what they stand for, but by the definition of “philanthropy,” I assume that these events have to do with helping humanity, and doing things for the good of all people. Should that not mean that members of Greek life that associate themselves with helping humanity, which is honorable, and all members should be picked specifically because they most stand for the values of the sorority, and if acceptance, compassion, and sensitivity is not executed by members of that specific chapter, does that not reflect upon the entire sorority?

I researched how I may and who I may contact of the Zeta Tau Alpha, Alabama chapter, to express my concern for the discrimination that had been committed in a letter. I don’t and did not intend to disrespect the privacy of the individuals involved, thus names had been replaced and my name is the only real on in the letter, the rest are fiction to protect all involved, and more importantly because it is not a letter to shame the wrong doings either, but rather a chance to learn from this and grow. I believe if I express my concern about the mentioned wrong-doing, than I will await a response, if one comes, and I will hope to read that the Alabama chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha, understands to increase efforts in raising awareness of discrimination of all forms. I’m just thinking that there may be members of the LGBTQ community in the chapter…now what kind of sisters treat each other like that? …That they are “confused” and what they believe they are is not actually who they are, “it’s just a phase.”

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