Lesbian and gay college students face heterosexist and homophobic attitudes and behaviors from their heterosexual peers (Burn, 2000; Fine, 2011; Franklin, 2000; Rankin, 2003; Silverschanz, Cortina, Konik, & Magley, 2008; Woodford, Howell, Silverschanz, & Yu, 2012; & Yost & Gilmore, 2011). Greek fraternity and sorority organizations can contribute to and influence the heterosexist and homophobic climate on college campuses. Greek organizations offer leadership opportunities, community engagement, and a sense of belonging, but these organizations can also perpetuate a climate of hostility and rejection of lesbian and gay peers (Case, 1996; Case, Hesp, & Eberly, 2005; DeSantis, 2007; Rankin et al., 2007; Windmeyer, 2005; Windmeyer & Freeman, 1998, 2001). As a result of the prejudice seen on college campuses, prejudice reduction interventions have been conducted with college students to reduce prejudiced attitudes toward lesbian and gay individuals. Recent research indicates that reducing prejudice does not necessarily cultivate ally behaviors toward stigmatized outgroups (Pittinsky, 2012). Some research suggests that, compared to lower levels of prejudice, positive feelings (allophilia) toward minority groups better predict supportive behaviors toward those outgroups. Using an expanded positive-focused conceptual framework, the current study tested the impact of one empathic joy focused intervention and one values affirmation focused intervention on reducing prejudiced attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, cultivating positive feelings and attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, fostering lesbian and gay affirming social justice competency, and cultivating attitudes toward social justice in a sample of fraternity and sorority college student leaders (N = 106). The current study also compared the effectiveness of these two positive focused interventions to a traditional anti-heterosexism prejudice reduction intervention (e.g., Blumenfeld, 1992). Findings from this study illustrated significant pre-intervention to post-intervention changes within the empathic joy and the anti-heterosexism intervention groups on positive attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, positive behavioral intentions toward lesbians and gay men, and positive attitudes toward social justice. Implications of the research findings for future research on effective diversity training and social justice leadership development on college campuses, and particularly within Greek life, are discussed.

Men’s violence against women includes acquaintance rape, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and partner stalking and occurs at particularly high rates on college campuses (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000). Although men are increasingly becoming involved in efforts to prevent these forms of violence, little is known about their motivation and the processes that lead to their involvement. The purpose of this project was to examine how undergraduate male students become social justice allies involved in preventing men’s violence against women. The theoretical frameworks of this study included transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1997, 2000) and feminist theory (Worell & Remer, 2003). Data were generated from six male social justice ally exemplars nominated for their sustained involvement in prevention work. Eligible and interested participants completed two individual interviews, demographic forms, Social Locations Worksheets (Worell & Remer, 2003), and male social justice ally development timelines. The qualitative data were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006) by the author and three peer debriefers. Findings provide an initial framework for conceptualizing male social justice ally development, including predisposing factors and shifts in perspective that were critical to their antiviolence work and factors that sustained their involvement. Participants also described integrating their social justice ally work into their identity and connecting with other forms of social activism. These themes provide a framework for understanding how men become invested in preventing men’s violence against women as undergraduate students and implications for ways to engage more men in these efforts.

Social justice allies make important contributions to fighting oppression in campus environments and in their communities after college. However, knowledge of how one becomes a social justice ally is limited. This qualitative, phenomenological study was designed in an effort to better understand the social justice ally development process and advances the pioneering work of Broido (1997, 2000). Examination of student’s understanding of her/his formative and college experiences helped determine how each alone and in combination with other factors or experiences, contributed to her/his ally development process. The role of student affairs professionals and programs in this process was also examined. This study was conducted at The University of Texas at Austin, which was selected because of the historical context, institutional environment and diversity-related initiatives implemented over the past 10 years. Review of the literature on ally development reveals that a majority of the existing research focuses on allies who take action against heterosexism or sexism. Through this research project I addressed this gap by including student allies who focus on other areas of privilege/oppression including classism and citizenship status. This study also expands the analysis of social justice allies by including examination of the influence of gender on the development, motivations and actions of allies. / text