In “Out on Fraternity Row”, one of the respondents to the Lambda 10 Project show even gay fraternity men engaging in homophobic behavior in order to protect themselves from ostracization. A student rushing a fraternity was “blackballed” from the brothers due to suspicions of him being gay. The gay brothers did not speak out for him and in fact, were the ones that exposed him by telling other brothers about the student’s past gay experience. The argument for homophobia is the idea that other Greek organizations and people will not want to associate with a fraternity suspected of being full of gays. Even brothers who are ambivalent about the topic will know that letting in openly gay men will potentially kill the fraternity chapter due to fear of social isolation.
This case of a student being blackballed is a direct example of homophobia and why others must speak out in order to provide visibility. Gay fraternity men who joined the organizations in order to feel brotherhood and acceptance, fear being rejected and participate in the irrational behavior of their homophobic peers to stay “undercover”.
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