Reflections on a Study of Queer Women of Color in Culturally-Based Sororities

Reflections on a Study of Queer Women of Color in Culturally-Based Sororities

Crystal E. Garcia & Antonio Duran

We entered this research bringing different elements of experience and expertise in fraternity and sorority life (FSL), as well as gender and sexuality identity development. Crystal is a member of Chi Omega Fraternity and served as an advisor for her sorority for five years. Despite the fact that she was highly engaged in her FSL community as an undergraduate, even earning the title “Greek Woman of the Year,” she was not aware of the purpose of culturally-based sororities and fraternities until she became a student affairs professional and later focused her dissertation on Latinx-based sororities and fraternities. She realizes that she still has much to learn and has continued to explore the nuances of these FSL groups through her research and by serving as a faculty advisor for a Latina-based sorority. Antonio entered into this project as someone who is passionate about centering the lives of Queer People of Color (QPOC) in higher education. In particular, his work had examined how QPOC navigated various communities (e.g., queer spaces or Communities of Color), leading him to be interested in culturally-based sororities and fraternities. However, Antonio had to wrestle with (and still does) his standing as someone not affiliated with a culturally-based fraternity. Even though he serves as an advisor for one, he did not want to cause harm as it relates to how he represents these groups.

Our research interests collided to inform our first collaborative study that examined the experiences of Queer Men of Color in culturally-based fraternities. After completing the project we came to the realization that scholars were rarely engaging in conversations around sexuality and gender for Women of Color in culturally-based sororities, which led us to this project. The research questions guiding this work were:

1. How do Queer Women of Color describe their experiences, if any, concerning heterosexism and heteronormativity in culturally-based sororities?
2. How do Queer Women of Color depict the connections between gender role expectations and their experiences of heterosexism/heteronormativity in culturally-based sororities?

We conducted a qualitative research study using narrative inquiry. Our participants included twenty individuals that were members of culturally-based sororities. Of the members of culturally-based sororities, ten were NPHC, five were Asian-interest, three Latina-interest, one Native American-interest, and one multicultural sorority. We engaged in two semi-structured interviews with participants, each lasting approximately 70-90 minutes in length. Participants also had the opportunity to take part in a reflective journal activity between interviews one and two—those responses informed the protocol for interview two.

Our findings revealed the organizations contributed to constructions around what it meant to be a Woman of Color. Chance reflected on these expectations noting, “There’s the norm of femininity…you have to make sure you’re presentable. You have to make sure you’re ladylike.” Constructions were ultimately tied to race and respectability politics. Tia described this sense of “elitism”:

I think traditionally for just cultural based anything, Black churches, Black sororities…whatever, it’s that we’re different than those others and so let’s just not do things that are going to maybe teeter that a little bit. So let’s not be caught in the wrong crowds. Let’s not get caught doing the wrong thing and let’s not be kissing each other.

These constructions informed behaviors and practices within the sororities such as using gendered stereotypes as proxies for sexuality in recruitment/selection (e.g., not being interested in a potential member who did not present in feminine ways). Yet, we also found ways participants enacted agency in navigating their chapter experiences, whether that was by making the choice to strategically disclose their identity to protect themselves from hostilities or to assert their sexuality and intervene in problematic behaviors. Another notable finding was that participants often felt their chapters were generally more progressive than national organizations, wherein many participants described instances where they experienced unaccepting environments and forms of discrimination within national spaces such as conventions. Tied to this reality was that not all participants reported negative experiences within their chapters with some speaking about the ways that they felt affirmed by their sisters.

This study points to important considerations for practice and future research. Of note, our findings can inform future directions in FSL organizations broadly, knowing that the participants’ experiences are documented in research about historically white organizations as well. FSL professionals must incorporate workshops and other dialogues on gender and sexuality within chapters. Chapters should consider ways that messaging, such as recruitment flyers, social media posts, and language used in conversations with members as well as potential new members, communicates heteronormativity and expectations for certain forms of gender expression. National organizations also have an important part in affirming members’ sense of belonging within the organizations and must be more attentive to conversations around membership for Queer and Transgender Women of Color.