Delta Lambda Phi Social Fraternity (, DLP, or Lambda) is an American social fraternity for gay, bisexual, transgender and progressive men. The fraternity was founded in 1986 in Washington, D.C. It offers a social environment and structure similar to other Greek-model college fraternities. It was the first, and as of 2013, the only, national fraternity with an emphasis on gay and bisexual men.

thumb|Delta Lambda Phi at 35th Annual Capital Pride Festival|alt=Delta Lambda Phi at Capital Pride

History

Delta Lambda Phi was founded in Washington, D.C. on October 15, 1986, by Vernon L. Strickland III. A fellow student on his university campus 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 that would not discriminate based on sexual orientation. The fraternity was founded with 29 members and was community-based, rather than being affiliated with a university.

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 that respects the diversity of all individuals. Strickland traveled to college campuses across the United States for eighteen months, working on expanding the fraternity. This was followed by chapters at the University of California, San Diego and the University of Minnesota. The fraternity continued to add colonies and chapters across the United States, becoming "one of the nation's fastest-growing fraternities". This was the first chapter house for an openly gay fraternity in the United States. The fraternity went international with the chartering of Beta Omega chapter at McGill University in Montreal in 2012, although that chapter has since closed. It established fourteen chapters between 2011 and 2014. The fraternity's initiation ritual is also secret. Above the shield, is a helmet that symbolized honor and knighthood. Its open visor indicates that Delta Lambda Phi is a non-secret society. On the scales to the left, two of the Greek letter Phi () represent the minority viewpoint; on the right, three of the Greek letter Phi () represent the majority viewpoint. At the top of the shield to the left, the inverted triangle is a reminder of the Nazi's persecution of gays and ongoing modern challenges. In the upper center of the crest, there are shaking hands which symbolize understanding and friendship. At the top of the shield to the right, a lowercase letter Lambda () stands for the gay liberation movement. Below the three symbols, chevrons symbolically the shield into "an unclosed division with the past. The formal motto of the fraternity is "Lambda Men are Making Their Presence Known." The foundation offers academic scholarships to collegiate or alumni members. It also supports the Delta Force Leadership Academy, established in 2011.

Board of directors

The fraternity's board of directors (BOD) governs the fraternity between conventions and consists of eleven elected members, three ex officio members, and Life Members. Members who have served on the board for ten or more years can be appointed Life Member by the action of the annual convention. The executive director and general counsel are appointed by the trustees and confirmed by the board of directors. The executive director oversees the day-to-day affairs of the fraternity.

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 the Convention, regional conference locations are generally rotated.

Hands-off policy

The Corporate Brother-Pledge Relations Policy states that brothers and pledges may not engage in "extra-fraternal relations" during 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 is minimized. No corporate policy prohibits two members from engaging in extra-fraternal relations after they 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.

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 national convention in 1998.

Chapters

Delta Lambda Phi has three types of chapters: campus-based, multi-campus based, and community-based. As of 2025, it has eight active chapters and three colonies. 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. Following is a list of Delta Lambda Phi alumni chapters.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Chapter

!Location

!Status

!References

|-

|Alpha Alpha Alumni Association

|Tempe, Arizona

|Active

|

|-

|Alpha Centauri Alumni Association

|Washington, D.C.

|Active

|

|-

|Alpha Psi Alumni Association

|Kent, Ohio

|Active

|

|-

|Alpha Rho Alumni Association

|State College, Pennsylvania

|Active

|

|-

|Beta Omega Alumni Association

|Montreal, Quebec, Canada

|Inactive

|

|-

|Beta Sigma Alumni Association

|New Brunswick, New Jersey

|Active

|

|-

|Beta Xi Alumni Association

|New York City, New York

|Active

|

|-

|Central Florida Alumni Association

|Orlando, Florida

|Active

|

|-

|Chicagoland Alumni Association

|Chicago, Illinois

|Active

|

|-

|Gamma Gamma Alumni Association

|Iowa City, Iowa

|Active

|

|-

|Greater San Diego Alumni Association

|San Diego, California

|Active

|

|-

|Heartland Alumni Association

|Kansas City, Missouri

|Active

|

|-

|Iota Alumni Association

|Sacramento, California

|Active

|

|-

|LAA of the Massachusetts Bay

|Boston, Massachusetts

|Active

|

|-

|Mid-Michigan Alumni Association

|Lansing, Michigan

|Active

|

|-

|Omega Chapter Alumni Association

|Tucson, Arizona

|Active

|

|-

|Raleigh Area Alumni Association

|Raleigh, North Carolina

|Active

|

|-

|St. Louis Alumni Association

|St. Louis, Missouri

|Active

|

|-

|Seattle Alumni Association

|Seattle, Washington

|Active

|

|-

|South Florida Alumni Association

|Miami, Florida

|Active

|

|-

|Twin Cities Alumni Association

|Minneapolis, Minnesota

|Active

|

|}

Notable members

  • Henry Berg-Brousseau (Alpha Second) – transgender rights activist
  • Todd Gloria (Alpha Delta) – mayor of San Diego
  • Chip Sarafin (Alpha Alpha) – firstly openly gay professional football player

See also

  • List of LGBTQ and LGBTQ-friendly fraternities and sororities
  • List of social fraternities

References

  • Delta Lambda Phi website
  • "Greek For Discrimination" (The Advocate, June 2011)