Donnie Collins doesn't have to struggle to pay for his own sex-change operation from female to male, thanks to his fraternity at Emerson College.
Collins, 20, a college sophomore, found out soon after joining the Phi Alpha Tau fraternity that his insurance company would not pay for surgery to remove breast tissue and flatten his chest, CNN reported.
So the fraternity members took action -- defying the conventional stereotype of a fraternity, they launched a campaign on Indiegogo.com in hopes of collecting the $8,100 needed for Collins' procedure, scheduled for May.
"We see Donnie as a brother and we want to support him in this endeavor," Phi Alpha Tau Chapter President John Allen told CNN affiliate WBZ-TV.
"We are here less to raise money, and more to tell a story ... of transformation, and a story of self-discovery, and the story of brotherhood," the online appeal said, according to CNN.
The campaign triggered a tremendous response, raising almost $16,000, CNN reported. The remaining money will be given to the Jim Collins Foundation, an organization that helps "fund gender-confirming surgeries for transgender people," the group told CNN.
"I'm overwhelmed and surprised," Collins told WBZ-TV. "I can't thank everyone enough."
Jason Meier, who oversees Emerson's Greek groups as student activities director, said the whole campus has been very supportive of Collins.
"Emerson has always been very inclusive and accepting of LGBT students," Meier said to CNN. "I didn't even flinch or bat an eye. It just seemed like every day for these men."
Before Collins, another transgender student was a member of the fraternity, Meier said.
Phi Alpha Tau, a "professional communicative arts fraternity," as the website describes it, has been active at Emerson since 1902, according to CNN.
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