Delta Lambda Phi () is an international social
fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...
for
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
,
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
,
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
and progressive men. It offers a social environment and structure similar to other Greek-model college fraternities. The fraternity was founded on October 15, 1986, by Vernon L. Strickland III in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
:
[Mok, Frank (13 August 2007).]
A brotherhood for Us
. ''Advocate.com''. Retrieved 28 January 2014. becoming the first national social fraternity for gay, bisexual, and straight progressive men. The full, corporate name of the fraternity is Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity, but it is commonly referred to as "DLP" by its members. As of 2007, DLP was one of the fastest-growing fraternities in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
[Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity - Initial File Number: 873594]
. ''Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs''. Government of the District of Columbia. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
History
Delta Lambda Phi was founded in Washington, D.C., on October 15, 1986, by Vernon L. Strickland III, a law student at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
. Strickland had been acting as informal legal counsel to another student who had been denied fraternity membership due to the presumption that he was gay. When Strickland became aware of other examples of this, he began organizing a fraternity with a more welcoming model.
The fraternity was incorporated in D.C. on September 10, 1987.
[ In April, 1988 a group of gay men at ]UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
were recognized as the first Delta Lambda Phi chapter to be affiliated with a university.
Membership
Delta Lambda Phi's membership is open to all men whether they are gay, bisexual, transgender, or straight.
There are three types of chapters: campus-based, multi-campus based, and community based. Campus and multi-campus chapters are generally open to male college-aged students who live in the area. Community-based chapters do not require their members to be students. Delta Lambda Phi strictly prohibits hazing, and it adheres to an extensive, fraternity-wide Risk Management Policy.
Delta Lambda Phi has been a member of the North American Interfraternity Conference
The North American Interfraternity Conference (or NIC; formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference) is an association of intercollegiate men's social fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began at a meeting a ...
(NIC) since 2013. The fraternity was the first (and as of 2013 only) cultural interest fraternity for gay, bisexual, transgender, and progressive men.
Purposes
The three purposes of the fraternity are:
* To develop dignified and purposeful social, service, and recreational activities for all men, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender expression;
* To lead in determining the rights and privileges of individuals in society; and,
* To present a strong and positive image which respects the diversity of all individuals.
Symbols and traditions
The heraldic crest of Delta Lambda Phi contains eleven symbolic elements, each of which carries a special meaning.[Information]
''Delta Lambda Phi - Kent State Chapter''. Archived fro
.
The fraternity's mascot is the Lambda Centaur
A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.
Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...
, which is modeled after Chiron
In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs".
Biography
Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology ...
, the only immortal centaur from Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
who was regarded as gentle and wise.
The fraternity's colors are green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
and gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
, although white does appear in reference to the fraternity's alumni members. The fraternity flower is the yellow rose.
The fraternity's song, "Delta Phi", has two distinct melodies. The first is a somber ceremonial version, while the second is a festive toast version. Both versions utilize the same set of lyrics. The official song has three verses, but every chapter writes a unique fourth verse to commemorate the founding of their individual chapter.
The formal motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
of the fraternity is "Lambda Men are Making Their Presence Make A Difference."
The highest honor bestowed by Delta Lambda Phi is the Vernon L. Strickland III Founder's Award for extraordinary service to the fraternity's brotherhood.
Structure and policies
Convention
Delta Lambda Phi is governed by its Convention, which is officially the highest authority in the fraternity. The convention is held annually and, as a body, comprises two members from every active chapter, as well as alumni representatives and the fraternity's board of directors. The first Convention was held in 1989 in San Francisco, California. The location of the Convention changes from year to year and is selected by the fraternity staff.
Board of directors
The fraternity's board of directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
(BOD) governs the fraternity between conventions and consists of eleven elected members, three ''ex officio'' members, and Life Members.
The executive director
Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization.
The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...
(ED) and general counsel
A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department.
In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
are appointed by the trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...
and confirmed by the board of directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
. The ED's principal responsibility is to direct the day-to-day affairs of the fraternity. Members who have served the on the board for ten or more years can be appointed "Life Member of the Board" by action of the Annual Convention.
The fraternity recognizes three broad geographic regions—Eastern, Central, and Western. Each region is overseen by a regional steering committee, and also hosts two regional conferences; one in the spring, and one in the fall. Like the location of Convention, regional conference locations are generally rotated.[Organizational Structure]
. ''Delta Lambda Phi National Social Fraternity''. Archived fro
the original
on 13 April 2009.
Delta Lambda Phi Alumni Association (DLPAA)
The Delta Lambda Phi Alumni Association (DLPAA) is governed by its own elected board of directors. Since January 2004, the DLPAA has sponsored an annual alumni retreat. This retreat provides alumni an opportunity to get acquainted or reacquainted. The DLPAA also allows for the creation of local alumni associations (LAAs). LAAs can be either in support of a specific chapter, or location based.
The Delphi Foundation
Delta Lambda Phi also has a separately incorporated 501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
educational foundation, the Delphi Foundation
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The orac ...
. The president of The Delphi Foundation is J. Marshall Smith (Beta Alpha chapter).[Board of Directors]
. ''The Delphi Foundation''. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
"Hands-Off" policy
Delta Lambda Phi observes a strict brother/pledge relations policy. Sexual relationships between brothers and pledges are forbidden. The policy governing these relationships is the Corporate Brother-Pledge Relations Policy, known informally as the "Hands-Off Policy". The policy has existed in various forms since the early years of the fraternity, and it was codified and adopted by the DLP National Convention in 1998. Many chapters also adopt their own local hands-off policy consistent with the corporate policy, often intended to expand or clarify it.
The Corporate Brother-Pledge Relations Policy states that brothers and pledges may not engage in "extra-fraternal relations" during the course of the rush and pledge education periods. The policy aims to ensure that bid distribution remains fair, that pledge education is focused on platonic fraternal bonding, and that the risk of sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
is minimized.
No corporate policy exists prohibiting two members from engaging in extra-fraternal relations after they have both become brothers. Because the student-teacher relationship that existed during the pledge education process no longer exists, all brothers are regarded as peers and are simply encouraged to exercise their best judgment.
Chapters
Delta Lambda Phi chapters are assigned a sequential Greek letter designation according to the order in which they were chartered. The oldest is the Alpha chapter, located in Washington, D.C. Subsequent chapters were assigned successive letters of the Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as we ...
. After all single-letter designations were used, chapters were assigned double-letter combinations in the fashion "Alpha Alpha," "Alpha Beta," "Alpha Gamma," etc. The designation "Alpha Omega" is reserved as a symbolic "Chapter Eternal" for members who have died.
Unlike many other fraternities, Delta Lambda Phi allows for multi-campus based chapters in addition to more traditional single-campus-based chapters.
Below is a list of all of the fraternity's active chapters:
* Alpha – George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
, Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
* Gamma – University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
* Delta – University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
, Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...
* Iota – California State University
The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
, Sacramento, CA
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
* Xi – University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...
, Davis, CA
Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 66,850 in 2020, not including the on-campus population of the University of California, Davi ...
* Rho – California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the list of United States cities by population, 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the List of citie ...
* Chi – Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
, East Lansing, MI
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...
* Psi – University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
, Seattle, WA
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...
* Omega – University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
, Tucson, AZ
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
* Alpha Beta – Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
, West Lafayette, IN
West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city ...
* Alpha Delta – San Diego, CA
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
* Beta Xi – New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, New York, NY
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
* Beta Omicron – Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...
, Bowling Green, OH
Bowling Green is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Ohio, United States, located southwest of Toledo. The population was 30,028 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Toledo Metropolitan Area and a member of the Toledo Metropolitan Ar ...
* Beta Sigma – Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
, New Brunswick, NJ
New Brunswick is a city in and the seat of government of Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...]
, Orlando, FL
* Gamma Gamma – University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
, Iowa City, IA
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
* Gamma Delta – University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Ontario Tech University (OTU), also known as Ontario Tech, is a public research university located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is located on approximately of land in northern Oshawa, while its secondary satellite ca ...
, Oshawa, ON, Canada
* Gamma Epsilon – Georgia State University
Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the ...
, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...
Delta Lambda Phi also has several active provisional chapters. Provisional chapters do not have Greek letter designations and are instead identified by their city or school.[Provisional chapters]
. ''Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity''. Retrieved 26, January 2019.
* University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
, Tuscaloosa, AL
Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 1 ...
* University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...
, Lafayette, LA
Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th ...
* University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all ...
Notable alumni
* Todd Gloria
Todd Rex Gloria (born May 10, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 37th and current mayor of San Diego since 2020. As a strong mayor, he is the chief executive officer in the city of San Diego. A member of the Democratic Party, he is t ...
- Mayor of San Diego
The mayor of the City of San Diego is the official head and chief executive officer of the U.S. city of San Diego, California. The mayor has the duty to enforce and execute the laws enacted by the San Diego City Council, the legislative branch. ...
See also
* List of LGBT and LGBT-friendly fraternities and sororities
References
External links
Delta Lambda Phi Corporate Website
DLP Alumni Association
Delphi Foundation
{{North American Interfraternity Conference
1986 establishments in Washington, D.C.
International student societies
North American Interfraternity Conference
Student societies in the United States
LGBT youth organizations based in the United States
Fraternities and sororities in the United States
LGBT fraternities and sororities
Student organizations established in 1986
LGBT in Washington, D.C.