90’s to Now: Timeline of Progress on Sexual Orientation Issues in Fraternity and Sorority Life

AFA Resolution on Heterosexism within the Greek Community: December 1990: AFA passes resolution “to implement sexual orientation awareness, education, and sensitivity programs for the Greek community.”  More Info

OUT IN FRONT: 1992-Present: First-known initiatives by inter/national fraternities/sororities to adopt student-driven policies prohibiting discrimination in membership on the basis of sexual orientation.  The vast majority of these efforts happen after 1998.  More Info

LAMBDA 10 PROJECT: Fall 1995: Online national clearinghouse founded at Indiana University by Shane L. Windmeyer & Pamela W. Freeman to support LGBT fraternity & sorority issues –Lambda 10 Project – www.lambda10.org.

LGB Fraternity & Sorority Research Study: Douglas Case publishes his research assessment on gay, lesbian and bisexual fraternity sorority members titled “A Glimpse of the Invisible Membership” in the April-May 1996 issue of AFA Perspectives.  More Info

OUT ON FRATERNITY ROW: October 1998: First-ever book Out on Fraternity Row highlights the experience of gay/bisexual men in college fraternities with educational interventions; becomes gay best-seller and breaks down the closet door of invisibility.  More Info

SECRET SISTERS: October 2001: Companion book Secret Sisters publishes the accounts of lesbian/bisexual women in college sorority along with special foreword by out lesbian California State Senator Sheila Kuehl.  More Info

Fraternity & Sorority Anti-Homophobia Training Manual:  The Lambda 10 Project in collaboration with AFA produced the first comprehensive fraternity and sorority anti-homophobia training manual and presented the material as a train the trainer pre-conference in 2002 and 2003 at the AFA Annual Meeting. More Info

BROTHERHOOD: October 2005: New book titled Brotherhood tests the bonds between straight and gay men highlighting progress and acceptance as well as delving deeper into emerging issues of masculinity and today’s college fraternity experience. More Info

LGBT Fraternity/Sorority Experience:  2007:  Research on the LGBT fraternity/sorority experience is published as largest national study to date and builds on the data from an informal assessment published in 1995. Four hundred and forty people who self-identified as either current or past fraternity and sorority members responded to the call to participate in February 2006. More Info