Group Sex

This chapter illuminates how sorority women have uniquely adapted to the dynamics of modern hookup culture and work to subvert it, not by pursuing a romantic interest on their own, but by forming sorority teams that mobilize their collective resources in sequence to secure romantic partners from a targeted fraternity for all members of the group. If one of the strengths of a team-based dating culture is increased access to a scarce commodity (men), a weakness is romantic mobility. Because sororal teams form romantic alliances with specific fraternities, to pursue someone in an alliance other than your own often means taking on an entire sorority. The second half of this chapter considers the role that LGBTQ fraternity and sorority members play in straight hookup culture. Despite championing gender binaries and privileging straight identities, some chapters actively recruit queer members to serve as matchmakers, diplomats, and mediators. Torn between competing loyalties, LGBTQ fraternity members find themselves occupying the nebulous space between empowerment and exploitation.