As I was working our contact table today on campus, a freshman gal walked up and asked if we were a sorority (which makes me think I should wear something less frilly tomorrow).
As we are not, in fact, a sorority I tried to muster the necessary words to communicate that we welcome both males and females.
The obvious word is coed. What I should have said is, “No, we’re a coed Christian ministry.”
But I had one of those sudden inabilities to remember the appropriate word. My brain frantically raced up and down the halls of my mind to seize a word that would help her understand that Chi Alpha was both male and female.
I settled on transgender.
As in, “No, we’re a transgender group.”
Not my finest verbal hour.
As my brain slowly began to process the words that had come out of my mouth (which, distressingly enough, appear to be the overflow of my heart) I become less and less coherent as I tried to throw more words into the ensuing silence, not unlike trying to repair a bullet wound with more rounds of hot lead.
In the end, I think she understood.
I suspect she also thought I was a sad, strange little man.
hahahaha
at least she will remember you for the rest of her time in Stanford… Oh yes, so will her friends! Great publicity for us : )