Donnie Collins, an Emerson College sophomore pledging the Phi Alpha Tau fraternity, is finding out a lot about the meaning of brotherhood.

Collins is a transgender male whose health insurance does not cover his female-to-male top surgery which involves the removal of the breasts. He has paid for his hormone treatment himself.

Now his his new fraternity brothers have stepped in to help raise money for the operation through a page on IndieGogo.com.

‘We care deeply about each and everyone, and rely on the entire active brotherhood to stand behind any one individual when they are in need,’ members state on the page. ‘We as an organization are told from day one to use our resources. You may not know this gentleman like we do, and we might not even know you, but if it speaks to you then we want to present you with an opportunity to give.’

Collins wants to have the surgery in May. He came out as transgender while a student at an all-girls boarding school in Windsor, Connecticut.

He tells Out.com that he cried in gratitude when he found out what his fraternity brothers were doing for him.

‘I was just like, ‘Oh that’s such a Tau thing to do,’ and I didn’t even think it was that weird,’ Collins says. ‘But then I started sending [the indiegogo link] out to people, and they were like, ‘Oh my god, that’s amazing! See, Greek Life isn’t bad; it’s amazing.’’

As of Monday (25 February) evening PST, just over $2,300 had been raised.

Below is a video made by some of the fraternity brothers: