Gay House

IU might soon welcome a new fraternity to its greek system. This in itself is not noteworthy; fraternities and sororities come and go on a regular basis on this campus.
However, what sets this fraternity apart from others is its overall attitude.

Last week, the Indiana Daily Student published a story about a student group gaining support for the foundation of an IU chapter of Sigma Phi Beta, a fraternity promoting openness toward gay, bisexual, transgender and straight men.

Founded at Arizona State University in 2003, the fraternity strives to provide gay and queer-friendly male students with a way to be involved in the greek system without fear of embarrassment or ostracizing that might be encountered elsewhere.

Sigma Phi Beta currently exists only at Arizona State. IU would become the second university to have a chapter, if approved by the IU’s Interfraternity Council.

Though Sigma Phi Beta will exist as a gay-allied house, its membership will be open to anyone who would uphold the values in the organization’s charter.

Despite the claims of some critics, the establishment of a gay-allied fraternity at IU will not promote self-segregation of minorities within the greek system.

Many fraternities and sororities have diverse memberships, including those that have historically cultural backgrounds. Alpha Phi Alpha  and Kappa Alpha Psi, both historically African-American fraternities, have membership policies open to anyone interested in joining, and their existence has not discouraged African-American men from joining other fraternities.

Critics also believe that should the fraternity be established here, the members will have a propensity to engage in excessive inappropriate actions with one another. This homophobic criticism stems from the false notion that gay men are more promiscuous than straight men, and that they lack the ability to control their libidos when presented with a tempting situation.

IU has always been committed to progressive policies regarding civil rights: it was one of the first universities in the state to admit women, back in 1867.

Revered former president and chancellor Herman B Wells took steps to remove the artificial racial barriers in place during segregation long before the “separate but equal” banner was struck down.

IU began looking into the issues important to GLBT students on this campus in the late 1980s.

Now, the establishment of a Sigma Phi Beta chapter at IU will stand as the one more landmark in the struggle for equal rights of GLBT students.

Purdue University has had Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity striving for equality for all men, for over a decade; it is time for IU to offer the same kind of social outlet.

For those members of the gay, bisexual and transgendered community who feel comfortable with the greek status quo, not much will change. But if Sigma Phi Beta establishes a chapter at IU, it will open a gateway not only for those men who feel uncomfortable with the as-is greek system but also for other groups to pursue their beliefs and create their own communities of interest within the greater IU community.