A new era of Greek culture on Canadian campuses was set in motion Feb. 4 at McGill University.
By admitting a chapter of Delta Lambda Phi (DLP), McGill becomes the first university in the nation to have an all-gay and bisexual fraternity.
Current president and third-year student Michael Dalimonte and his 16 “brothers” participated in their initiation and official chartering weekend Feb. 3-5. Several members from the existing 32 chapters in the United States also attended.
This milestone for queer associations in Canada has been met with limited opposition in Montreal — a city known for having a dense population of people associating with the LGBTQ community.
Dalimonte said other Greek chapters have responded “better than he thought” to the idea of having a queer fraternity.
Members of DLP try to shy away from political debates — the fraternity is just a social option for students, Dalimonte said.
“It’s a nice venue for males to interact without having to have the politics behind it,” Dalimonte said.
While a gay-friendly fraternity seems to make the Greek community more inclusive, some believe it raises issues of exclusion for gay students.
Sarah Cooper, the administrative co-ordinator for the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Queer (GLBTQ) Centre, said some member sof the queer community could be left out.
“If we look at gender as a spectrum, some people might not identify as a gay male. My main concern is that people would feel left out,” Cooper said. “I understand it’s a comfort thing, but you’re creating so much disruption in the queer community. It’s hard enough to fit everyone into an umbrella.”
Cooper said issues of LGBTQ rights on campus will always be politicized.
“In the existing climate, it is a political statement.”
Looking forward, Dalimonte said DLP hopes to strengthen their on-campus presence and become more well-known at McGill, particularly by acquiring a house. Currently, the members rotate events amongst their existing residences.
