Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, the oldest Black intercollegiate fraternity in the US, has reportedly banned transgender members following a debate and vote at their annual convention. Details of the ban’s enforcement and impact on current and new members remain undisclosed, raising concerns among LGBTQ+ advocates.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, the oldest Black intercollegiate fraternity in the United States, has reportedly enacted a ban on transgender members. Jake News has learned that this decision was made following a debate and subsequent vote at the fraternity’s annual convention. The implementation details of the ban, including its enforcement and its applicability to current versus new members, remain unspecified at this time.
Eric Webb, the fraternity’s director of communications, declined to comment on the matter. Additionally, the ban comes seven years after Phi Beta Sigma, another Black fraternity, instituted a similar policy against transgender members.
A representative from GLAAD expressed concern over the decision, highlighting that an organization historically excluded from non-Black Greek-letter organizations due to race is now marginalizing potential and current Black transgender and queer members.
This move follows Alpha Phi Alpha’s 2022 decision to relocate their annual convention from Florida to Chicago as a stand against what they described as “harmful, racist and insensitive policies” of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Dr. Willis L. Lonzer III, the fraternity’s general president, emphasized their dedication to social justice and advocacy for the Black community in his statement about the relocation.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc counts among its notable members civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois, and comedian Dick Gregory.
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