San Francisco State just welcomed back the first gay fraternity on campus in almost a quarter of a century. The fraternity, Delta Lambda Phi, is a national organization founded by gay men in 1987, but has not had a chapter at SF State since 1992.
“Essentially our goal is to create a brotherhood like all the other fraternities, but we really feel like creating a home for the large queer male population at SF State,” Kyle Mears, president of Delta Lambda Phi, told the Golden Gate Xpress.
The new chapter became official in December, and its members spoke with the paper about their intentions on the campus of almost 30,000 students.
“We're kind of redefining Greek life in a way,” one member of the fraternity, Austin Farley, explained. “We’re just a group of diverse queer people standing at a table willing to welcome anybody. For those people who can't go out and experience queer life in San Francisco, it’s really important for them to feel welcomed and at home at SF State," he added.
And while Delta Lambda Phi is definitely a gay frat, students don't need to be queer to join — Xpress reports that the only qualifier is that the pledge must identify as male.
The fraternity was founded in 1987 by Vernon L. Strickland III in Washington DC, and the first pledge party drew 150 people.
Related: Cleve Jones: We Have To Preserve Gayborhoods Because They Save Lives