The University of Iowa is considering establishing its first-ever gay fraternity on campus. School officials say that recognizing a new chapter of Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity designated for gay and bisexual men, and their straight allies, would be a move in the right direction to fostering a gay-friendly community.
UI isn’t the first collegiate institution to establish LGBTQ-oriented Greek societies and, according to Gabe Javier, the director of the LGBTQ campus center at University of Wisconsin-Madison, UI’s move to be gay-friendly is, in fact, part of a bigger trend in colleges across the country.
“There’s a widening conversation in general about the lives of LGBTQ people,” said Javier. “And that leads to more resources being provided across the board, from community groups to LGBTQ-focused Greek life.”
Last year, Delta Lambda Phi added eight new chapters, increasing the total number from 19 to 27 nationwide with outposts at schools like New York University, Vanderbilt, the University of Arizona and even a “colony” chapter McGill University in Montreal. Chris Newman, the executive director of Delta Lambda Phi, says that it’s indicative of the country becoming more open to the LGBTQ community.
“A lot of those Midwestern schools, they are sort of these little liberal centers in typically conservative states, and they have very strong Greek systems because there isn’t much else to do when you’re in the middle of a cornfield,” he said. “We actually struggle in urban areas, because there’s no interest — there are so many other outlets.”
And as for UI, while the final decision will be left to discussion on Oct. 25, Associate Director of the university’s Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, Kelly Jo Karnes, is confident that “all signs say yes, there is interest.”
“We want to make sure we’re offering a wide variety of groups,” Karnes said. “You don’t have to have a cookie-cutter experience in Greek life.”