Sigma Phi Beta () is a

college fraternity A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...

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 ...

straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, an LGBT person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Str ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

men. It was founded at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

(ASU) on September 28, 2003. It originated as the beta chapter of a now-defunct fraternity with similar values,

Alpha Lambda Tau Alpha Lambda Tau () was a men's college fraternity founded in 1916 at Oglethorpe University. For its first decade Alpha Lambda Tau permitted expansion only within the southern states. At the start of its fourth decade, in , the national organizatio ...

. It disaffiliated from Alpha Lambda Tau on May 11, 2003. According to its promoters, "The fraternity creates a unique social and educational environment for its members within the traditional Greek fraternity system, while providing all open-minded men in college with career and character building opportunities. By participating in recreational, scholastic, and community service programs, the members of Sigma Phi Beta are transforming into tomorrow's reliable leaders. Sigma Phi Beta values brotherhood, diversity, leadership, education, scholarship, fraternity life, and community service. We embrace tradition while promoting positive change that moves us forward." It organized as a national body on July 17, 2005, adopting a constitution and bylaws and electing the first fraternity council.

History

Sigma Phi Beta was established at

in Tempe in 2003 where its first national chapter dates to 2005. Its stated objective is to provide a "uniquely diverse safe space for gay men within the traditional Greek system." The fraternity is open to all who identify as male; the first transgender member of Sigma Phi Beta joined in 2010. The beta chapter at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

in Bloomington became a colony on November 13, 2009, and a fraternity in Fall 2010. The gamma chapter at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

became a chapter on March 22, 2014.

Requirements

Sigma Phi Beta requires members to: *Be enrolled as a full-time student in the college or university that the chapter is affiliated with. *Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better. *Identify as male. Sigma Phi Beta prioritizes gender identity over assigned gender, allowing

transgender men A trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth. The label of transgender man is not always interchangeable with that of transsexual man, although the two labels are often used in this way. ''Transgender'' is an umbrella term that inclu ...

to join. In accordance with the Fraternity's gender policy, members are not required to be legally male, or assigned male at birth.

Chapters and Colonies

Chapters * Alpha -

* Beta -

Indiana University - Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest campu ...

* Gamma chapter -

References

{{Fraternities and Sororities , collapsed Student societies in the United States LGBT organizations in the United States LGBT fraternities and sororities Student organizations established in 2003 LGBT in Arizona

History

Requirements

Chapters and Colonies

See also

References