All sorority chapters at the University of Alabama rejected a biological man who identifies as a woman during their notorious recruitment process, according to a video and statement from transgender woman Grant Sikes.
Sikes, a biological man, posted to Instagram stating that all of the almost 20 sorority chapters at the University of Alabama unanimously cut the transgender woman.
“Unfortunately, this chapter is closed. This recruitment journey is over for me,” Sikes said on Instagram. “Being dropped from my last house this morning during primary recruitment at the University of Alabama doesn’t come as a surprise considering out of the almost 20 chapters – I was dropped by every single one except 2 before day 1.”
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In a separate TikTok post, Sikes said it’s “sad” that this is how the process ended. “I’m sad because I wanted to be part of a sisterhood and, more than that, a community,” Sikes said to a newfound audience on the platform.
Alabama recruitment videos are a viral sensation on the social media app TikTok and Sikes alone garnered millions of views from what participants dub “#BamaRush” or “RushTok,” hashtags girls use to document the recruitment, or rush, process.
Sikes first garnered a strong reaction from online commentators when the popular Twitter account “LibsofTikTok” posted Sikes’ “outfit of the day” (OOTD) TikTok, a trend popular among girls seeking to showcase their style and personality to sorority chapters online.
Biological males are now participating in rush week to join a sorority at University of Alabama pic.twitter.com/S5WqYuZTuG
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 15, 2022
Sikes is not the first transgender identifying student to attempt to join Greek Life at a university. Transgender student Adam Davies went through a portion of the recruitment process at Northwestern University, where Davies was rejected by all 12 sororities, according to the New York Post. (RELATED: Children’s Hospital Updates Standards After Offering Sex Change Surgeries To Teens)
One transgender student was admitted to a women-only sorority at Tufts University. The sorority Alpha Omicron Pi offered membership to a 19-year-old biological male named Harper Hopkins, according to The Daily Wire. Alpha Omicron Pi updated its policy to allow “female-identifying” individuals to join the sisterhood, instead of just women.