Happy Pride Month by Kimberly Stringer

Hello! My name is Kimberly Stringer and I am part of MC Fall 20. In honor of Pride month, I wanted to share my perspective as both a member and an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. In writing this post, I hope to offer a new perspective to AXiD allies, as well as empower my current and future sisters who might be experiencing something similar by showing you that you are not alone.

On a personal level, Pride month is an opportunity to acknowledge the insecurities that have been building up around my sexuality and replace them with joy, love, and gratitude. It is an opportunity for self reflection on how my perception of myself and my community has changed. 3 years ago I considered myself bi-curious, 2 years ago I thought I was straight, last year I identified as lesbian and today, although I call myself bisexual, it does not always feel accurate.

There have been times when I hated myself for not knowing if I belonged to one label or another, times when I forced myself into a box to accommodate the people around me. I wish I could say that my confusion is over, I figured everything out and I love myself and the journey I have taken, but the truth is: my journey is not complete. I am still learning more about myself and my orientation every day. I used to think coming out would be one and done, I would announce I was gay or pan or bi and that would be the end of my story. What I have learned is that not everyone can consistently fit into one label or another, and that is okay! Part of the beauty of our community is knowing that everyone’s story is different. 

As we enter the new recruitment season, it is important to remember that not everyone experiences greek rush the same. When I went through sorority rush at Tech, I had no idea when or how to come out as lesbian, which is the label I identified with at the time. None of the sisters I spoke with gave me a reason to believe they would not accept me, but there was also nothing in place to tell me I would be accepted as a lesbian rushing a sorority in the south. With help from my recruitment counselor I figured out how and when to ask each sorority about their views and attitudes towards sisters in the LGBTQ+ community, and I was overwhelmed with relief when I got such heartfelt and positive responses. This relief quickly evolved into love as I got to know my sisters at AXiD who have shown me so much support and encouragement. 

As someone who experienced fear and worry during rush, I want to do whatever I can to reduce that fear for future PNMs. When possible, we should answer the question of “will AXiD accept me for me” without our potential new sisters even having to ask. This can be as simple and as personal as incorporating the pride flag and/or your pronouns into your outfit on name tags, earrings, pins, or stickers. Whatever ways you can come up with are amazing! I just want to encourage everyone to consider how they can individually contribute towards making AXiD as inclusive as possible. 

I am proud to be a part of such a beautiful sisterhood, and I am excited for the future of AXiD!