A student at Louisiana State University was kicked out of her sorority after posting a TikTok video mocking Biden’s transgender health secretary, Dr Rachel Levine.
Emily Hines was dismissed from the Delta Tau chapter of Alpha Phi for a post which saw her dancing in front of a picture of Dr Levine.
In the video, which has since been deleted, Hines pointed at Dr Levine’s face as she lip-synched the Bee Gees lyrics: “More than a woman, more than a woman to me”.
The words were a clear nod to Dr Levine’s gender identity, which makes the health secretary a frequent target of abuse online. The sorority immediately raised issue with the demeaning content and asked Hines to take it down.
“A post/video was brought to our attention where you were wearing an Alpha Phi sweatshirt and voicing political views,” an Alpha Phi member wrote to Hines.
The student was reminded of Alpha Phi’s standing rules, which prohibit discrimination and refuse to tolerate it in any of its members.
“Alpha Phi believes that a multicultural experience during the college years enhances each member’s ability to function in a pluralistic society,” the rules state.
Hines was summoned judiciary board hearing where she was told her video was widely viewed as offensive.
“They asked if I was remorseful at all, and I said I regret wearing the [Alpha Phi] sweatshirt but was not going to apologise for my beliefs,” she told Breitbart.
Shortly after, Hines received an email notifying her that she’d been terminated from the sorority. She was outraged by the decision which she blamed on “hypocrisy and one-sidedness”.
“The way this situation unfolded has been absolutely ridiculous. My religious beliefs have been pushed under the rug because the social construct of gender has become such a big issue,” Hines told Young America’s Foundation.
“My faith teaches me that God made male and female in his image, and that one cannot become the other.
“Members of the executive board told me my video was ‘widely viewed as…’ but how people perceive things is not my issue, in fact, that’s what makes our country diverse. We’re not all identical and all have different beliefs.”
However, Alpha Phi’s beliefs are clearly stated and the sorority is under no obligation to keep members who flout its rules. The chapter reiterated its position on discrimination last year on a post in support of Black Lives Matter.
“Alpha Phi joins all who condemn racism, hate, bigotry and violence,” it read. “As Alpha Phis, we expect our members to live up to our high ideals and to show the best qualities of character by being fair, inclusive and supportive.
“Racism, hate, bigotry and violence are in complete contradiction with our purpose.”
PinkNews has reached out to Alpha Phi for comment.