June 17-24, 2004

city beat

Ask and Tell

FRAT BOYS: Delta members (l-r) Luzerne V. McAllister II, Ron Whyte, Christopher Grabski, Eric Boschetti, Malcolm Harris and Tim Wilson. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

A fraternity at Penn is here and queer, but it's not a "sex club."

by Doron Taussig

Fraternity life and lore are littered with homosexual undertones. From the mere fact of virile young men cohabitating to furtive initiation rites involving sexual subjugation, to the phrase "Thank you, sir, may I have another!" there is something almost nautical about the public image of fraternities. Members of a new University of Pennsylvania fraternity hope to turn this image on its head.

Founded in 2003, Delta Lambda Phi is a fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men (progressive, for DLP, means a straight man comfortable around gays). The fraternity has two central purposes: providing a fraternal atmosphere for homosexual men and presenting a positive public face for the gay community. Last Wednesday afternoon, two DLP members sat outside Millennium Coffee on 12th and Walnut and explained their vision.

Christopher Grabski, DLP vice president and a founding member, says the chapter came into being because several gay and bisexual students wanted to be a part of a fraternity, but felt that "Greek life is not really accepting of LGBT people." When they discovered a national fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men, they decided to establish their own chapter.

In its first year, Penn DLP received recognition from both the national organization and the university, and began recruiting. It is a citywide organization, open to any college-aged man from Philadelphia. Thus far, 12 members have joined. All gay or bisexual, they represent a wide range of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Malcolm Harris was an early recruit. Harris, an articulate and assertive freshman from Drexel, says he has always wanted to be involved in Greek life. He preferred a gay fraternity for several reasons. First, he says, there is a shared social experience around which gay men can bond.

"We do live in a society that is not blind to sexual orientation," he explains. A gay fraternity helps him build friendships with other gay men outside of the "protest culture" or bars in the larger Philly gay scene.

"I didn't want to be a gay boy in the city — and all the things that go along with that," he says, adding "it wouldn't be advantageous to be the token gay person in a fraternity."

He pauses to consider. "Or the only out gay person."

DLP brothers frequently find themselves answering queries about whether the organization is a "sex club." Grabski and Harris are emphatic in their response: no, no and no. Sexual relations between brothers and pledges are forbidden during the pledging process and relations between brothers are discouraged by a "hands-off" policy. The idea is to create an environment where gay men can bond without the tension that inevitably accompanies romantic possibilities. But can people really "turn off" desires because of a policy? Harris likens the rule to a workplace that discourages relations between co-workers, and says that dating and sex are "diametrically opposed" to the purposes of the organization. Harris and Grabski say that in its first year, the fraternity did not deal with any romantic episodes between members.

Aside from the hands-off policy, DLP practices closely resemble those of a typical fraternity. House rules dictate that all members dedicate time to community service, helping out at the William Way Community Center, which offers social, educational, recreational and support services to the LGBT community, at least one weekend a month. Harris and Grabski each put in additional time doing faith-based advocacy for homosexual rights.

Members also dedicate a portion of their time to partying: The frat has already hosted a few events and is planning a fashion show for the fall, featuring the designs of students from city arts schools. They say there is a "good chance" that Patti LaBelle will attend.

The brothers deny that in joining the fraternity system, which some might say has helped perpetuate an anti-gay stigma, they are strengthening a system that harms them. They argue that there is nothing inherently discriminatory about the central tenet of fraternal life — brotherhood. In any case, Harris says their relations with other fraternities have been "great" thus far. They've experienced a minor amount of resistance, but the bulk of it comes from people who, for one reason or another, can't seem to accept them as a real fraternity.

"There are no crosses being burned," says Harris. Rather, there are some people who either think that the frat is a sex club, or "the brothers are making [the recruits] have sex with them. They make up a lot of bull. But everyone who counts is on our side. Quote that."