Gay frat starts new chapter

The membership will consist of male students of all sexual orientations from colleges and universities in the Baltimore area, including Johns Hopkins University.

Founded in 1986, DLF already has 17 other chapters across the nation, mostly concentrated along the West Coast.

The idea of a "progressive" fraternity, said Wade Price, governor for the

Northeast Region and an alumnus of DLF's original chapter in Washington, D.C., arose in response to a lack of social outlets for gay college men.

Traditionally, gay bars have provided the only major social outlet for such

students, but "DLF provides an alternative to that for meeting friends," he said.

The fraternity is "modeled on the Greek system," continuing the tradition of rush, pledging and initiation into the brotherhood. However, Price said, "there is absolutely no hazing. Gay men are hazed, in a sense, by society as a whole."

Another variance from the traditional fraternity archetype is that many chapters are based regionally, and not on a specific campus.

One side effect of this multi-college emphasis is that very few chapters have a "fraternity house" in the conventional sense. Instead, they have a house or apartment, where at least two brothers live, that serves as a focal point for the group, Price said.

So what has been the historical reaction to the emergence of a gay fraternity?

Surprisingly tolerant, Price said. With a few exceptions, no "gay-bashing" has been directed toward the fraternity. And since the Baltimore chapter has started, there has not been a single incident of harassment.

Rolling Stone published an article on DLF a few years ago and Price said that there will be an item in the upcoming issue of The Advocate.

Ironically, it is the "traditional" gay community that provides the most resistance to the notion of a gay fraternity. "There have been some negative reactions but not a lot," Price said. "Some say it is wrong to impose an 'oppressive' structure on a gay environment."

Delta Lambda Phi, however, "does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation." While Price was a member of the D.C. chapter, there was one bisexual DLF and even two straight members. "They were friends of the [other DLF] brothers and didn't like the straight fraternities on campus. They even brought their girlfriends to fraternity events."

With the vast majority of DLF brothers interested in members of the same sex, there is the potential for relationships going beyond the bounds of platonic brotherhood.

However, DLF has strict rules governing such behavior. "First of all, most chapters do not allow dating between brothers and pledges," Price said. "Dating between brothers does happen, but not as often as one might think. DLF is about friendship. And with such close relationships, (intra-fraternity dating) is bound to happen. And this is acceptable, as long as they handle it in a mature fashion."

Delta Lambda Phi is careful to strictly limit itself to the social side of gay life. Price estimates that more than two-thirds of DLF brothers are 'out of the closet' by the time they pledge. "We are strictly a social, non-political organization," he said. Though members are certainly entitled to partake in political activism, they are discouraged from doing so under the auspices of the fraternity.