Emerson College fraternity members raise money for one brother’s gender reassignment surgery

E-mail this article

Invalid email address
Invalid email address

Sending your article

Your article has been sent.

02/26/2013 6:38 PM
  • E-mail
  • E-mail this article

    Invalid E-mail address
    Invalid E-mail address

    Sending your article

    Your article has been sent.

Members of an Emerson College fraternity are raising money so one of the fraternity brothers who is transitioning to become a man can get gender reassignment surgery, a college official said.

Donnie Collins, class of 2015, was denied insurance coverage this month to remove breast tissue and restructure his chest, said Jason Meier, director of student activities at Emerson.

Collins is now being helped out by fellow members of Phi Alpha Tau, “guys in the fraternity who care deeply about one of their brothers,” Meier said.

As of this evening, they had raised $11,455, Meier said. That was above the brothers’ goal of $8,100.

“They’re doing whatever they can do to help him out,” Meier said. “One of the things we are always talking about at Emerson is being a caring and just community. And the brothers of Phi Alpha Tau recognized this and, in turn, cared about him and accepted him as who he is.”

Collins was born female, but has presented himself as a male since he began attending Emerson, Meier said. He has been undergoing hormone treatments for 14 months. When he joined the fraternity, the brothers knew he was transgender, Meier said.

“The men of Phi Alpha Tau were aware that Donnie was making the transition and accepted him for who he was ... and sent him an invitation for him to join into their brotherhood,” Meier said.

“Once he became a member, the groundswell of support and caring and acceptance was so strong that a multitude of the membership really felt they were in a position to assist and, with his blessing, they did,” Meier said.

“We care deeply about each and everyone, and rely on the entire active brotherhood to stand behind any one individual when they are in need,” the fraternity brothers wrote on the Indiegogo fundraising site, where donations for Collins are piling up.

In a video response linked to the page, Collins said, “It kind of really took me by surprise. I honestly still don’t know what to say about that. ... The words ‘Thank you’ just don’t do it anymore.”

He thanked his frat brothers and a variety of other people for their support.

“I really don’t know what to do with all of the love in the room right now,” he said. “I really don’t.”

  • E-mail
  • E-mail this article

    Invalid E-mail address
    Invalid E-mail address

    Sending your article

    Your article has been sent.

On the beat

Columnist Kevin Cullen says Bobby Long and Tom Foley did more than the entire FBI to bring Whitey Bulger to justice. Read more
Kevin Cullen

Editor's Choice

Colleges grapple with merit-based aid

Colleges grapple with merit-based aid

Are colleges using too much money for merit scholarships, leaving too little for students who need financial help?
City takes first steps on cab abuses

City takes first steps on cab abuses

Boston has begun to crack down on continued exploitation of cabbies.
MORE
archives

LOCAL BLOGS

BOSTON AREA

Universal Hub

A collection of writing from hundreds of Boston-area bloggers.

The Chinatown Blog

Stories and events related to Boston's Chinatown and the Asian American community in Massachusetts

CommonWealth Magazine

Politics, ideas, and civic life in Massachusetts

Red Mass Group

News and commentary about Massachusetts and beyond

Blue Mass Group

Politics in Massachusetts and around the nation

Boston 1775

History, analysis, and unabashed gossip about the start of the American Revolution.
COLLEGE NEWSPAPER SITES

The 1851 Chronicle

The official student-run newspaper of Lasell College

The Berkeley Beacon

The weekly student newspaper at Emerson College

The Daily Collegian

The student newspaper of UMass-Amherst.

The Daily Free Press

The independent student newspaper at Boston University

The Harvard Crimson

The nation's oldest continuously published daily college newspaper.

The Heights

The independent student newspaper of Boston College

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Suffolk Journal

Suffolk University's student-run newspaper

The Tech

MIT's oldest and largest newspaper

The Tufts Daily

The independent student newspaper of Tufts University