When I read in the Isthmus April 5 that the University of Wisconsin has a new gay fraternity, I was a little embarrassed that I had no idea. I was also incredibly surprised. The Greek system traditionally has had the reputation of being conservative, chauvinistic and steeped in tradition. These values do not exactly line up with gay subculture, and the fact that a group of gay men formed a Delta Lambda Phi colony last October seems, on the surface, to be a clash of values. Delta Lambda Phi has its roots in Washington, D.C., before most of the freshman class was born. Since its founding in 1986, Delta Lambda Phi has spread to California to Boston and even to Kansas State University. A recent renewal of interest in forming gay fraternities has seen the formation of new Delta Lambda Phi chapters across the nation. It seems that a "gay fraternity" is an oxymoron: Would a gay fraternity be accepted by Greek society at UW, and why would gay men even want to form a fraternity? According to The Badger Herald, the Interfraternity Council on campus has in fact welcomed the new Greek colony on campus. The IFC has stated that Delta Lambda Phi has been welcomed to the UW Greek system and has proven its ability to contribute to the campus and the surrounding Madison community. So why would gay men ever want to join Greek life on campus? After all, fraternities have been viewed as the bastion of white, conservative upper-class men. There still may be a few frat guys who do fit the mold of the beer-drinking, womanizing partiers. Greek life, however, is not just full of white Anglo-Saxon Protestants drinking their way through college before starting a career in the white-dominated business community. The Multicultural Greek Council, for example, is an organization affiliated with the IFC to unite Greek-letter organizations that are not a part of the IFC. This council, which was formed in 2004, is the first of its kind in the nation and includes organizations such as Latino and women's interest groups — organizations that traditionally have not been associated with Saturday night binge-drinking on Langdon. It has been argued that the new gay colony on campus may isolate gay life at UW. The same can be said about Greek life in general, and there are some frat brothers and sorority sisters who only associate with other Greeks. The same can also be said about the International Student Organization, ASM or even The Badger Herald staff. Any organization on campus or in Madison can be exclusionary and make itself an island. In Greek life, however, a fraternity cannot isolate itself entirely. Being a network of fraternities and sororities, it would be difficult for a new fraternity to isolate itself. With projects such as the Greek system safety patrols on Langdon, the members of Delta Lambda Phi must interact with other fraternities to help decrease the crime level in this part of the city. With events such as socials and intramurals, the fraternities and sororities have to interact with each other, whether they are gay or straight. A gay fraternity may seem to be an oxymoron but so would have the Society of Women Engineers and the Black Law Students Association 50 years ago. It is through organizations such as Delta Lambda Phi that attitudes are changed. The Greek society and the rest of campus can see that for these men, being gay is only part of their identities. They may be different, but there is a commonality they share as fellow frat brothers. Will every fraternity brother become a gay supporter as a result of Delta Lambda Phi? Of course not, but there still are men who believe women should not be considered equals, and there will always be some whites who believe they are superior to other ethnic groups. When the members of Delta Lambda Phi work together with the other fraternities, they are viewed as peers despite differences in lifestyle choice. While other writers may see a gay fraternity as potentially dangerous for the gay movement, fraternities such as the Delta Lambda Phi are actually breaking down barriers within our Greek system and our campus. After all, there is no better way to prove you deserve equal rights than by showing that you are, in fact, an integral part of society and share a common ground with those who may otherwise think less of you because of slight differences. Jeff Carnes ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in linguistics.