Fraternity raises money for transgender brother's sex change surgery

BOSTON A transgender student at Boston's Emerson College has found overwhelming support in his new fraternity, CBS Boston reports. 20-year-old Donnie Collins came out as transgender before arriving on campus and now wants to undergo a procedure to remove his breasts.

"The operation is a double incision which is removing my breast tissue so my chest will be flat. I don't think of it as a sex change but making my body congruent of how I see myself," Collins says.

But the surgery is costly and the school insurance policy will not cover the $8,000 price tag.

Members of Collins's new fraternity, Phi Alpha Tau, decided to help. The group has reached out to the larger college community and has already exceeded their goal, raising more than $11,000 for Collins. They plan to donate the excess money to a charity.

"I'm overwhelmed and surprised. I can't thank everyone enough," Collins said.

Some Emerson students have mixed emotions. "I think something personal like a sex change should be private. I don't feel other people's money should change my gender," one student told CBS Boston.

But Collins's fraternity brothers are fully supportive. "We see Donnie as a brother and we want to support him in this endeavor," Phi Alpha Tau president John Allen said.