The Delta Lambda Phi fraternity has its roots in the United States, with twenty-odd chapters scattered throughout the country. The McGill DLP is the only chapter in Canada, making it the first gay fraternity in the country.

In an interview with the newspaper, current DLP President Michael D'Alimonte spoke about some of the commonly held misconceptions about their fraternity.

“People just see it as a venue for a bunch of gay guys to meet and hook up, which I can understand, since there’s a very large stereotype of the gay community; that we’re all kind of sexual deviants. But, I think that’s what DLP is all about, showing how gay men can interact in a certainly fraternal way.”

D'Alimonte further dismissed these misconceptions. “There’s just as much gay sex going on with our fraternity as there is in any straight fraternity.” In fact, the frat actively discourages relationships between brothers or pledges in an effort to maintain trust and transparency.

“If you are going to have a relationship, make sure everyone knows about it, and that way it’s out in the open and there’s no drama that ensues,” says D'Alimonte.

A fellow brother and former DLP President Sam Reisler, doesn’t see the issue of the organization’s homosexuality as their biggest stumbling block. Perhaps surprisingly, the chapter’s biggest challenges had to do with the not-so-simple bureaucracy surrounding the creation of a new chapter, as every ceremony and induction had to be performed or attended by DLP brothers in already established chapters.

“In order to perform any ceremonies, you need to have a brother, and the closest brothers to us were in New York, so our schedule was contingent on their schedule. Now that we are full brothers...it’ll be a lot easier for a lot of Canadian chapters to expand,” explained Reisler.

Although it took a few years, it seems as though the McGill chapter of DLP has taken off. So what are the chances that a similar fraternity could open its doors here at the University of Toronto? According to a former brother at a U of T fraternity, it’s not unlikely.

Although the source - who spoke on condition of anonymity - made reference to “a kind of apprehension” toward gay pledges because of the potential romantic pitfalls, he spoke about the likelihood of an inclusive school like U of T being a welcoming host to a gay fraternity.

“There's no reason a gay frat can't work, as cases in the States have shown. The beauty of the Greek system is the degree of choice provided by the multitude of frats, allowing one to enter into a close-knit social group centered around some theme, academic discipline, or activity, and I expect that many people at U of T would want that social focus to be their deviant sexuality.”

Justin Gordon-Deacon, Internal Coordinator of LGBTOUT at U of T, echoed some of the apprehension about an all-male gay frat, albeit on a different note. Disagreeing with the gendered nature of the Greek system, Gordon-Deacon nevertheless supports the concept behind DLP.

“Aside from the problematic nature of having gendered student groups like fraternities and sororities, it seems like a good idea. It seems like a great little community they’ve created there...and certainly a place where people could find acceptance in a post-secondary setting.”

Reisler and D'Alimonte were not shy in admitting that they experienced some friction with both the Greek and queer communities when they first began their quest of opening up a chapter of DLP. Luckily, the issues have largely been resolved and now the fraternity enjoys a healthy relationship with both communities.

“With queer politics and queer issues, it’s often taken a little too seriously, and people often lose the point of wanting to meet people and have a social environment. So, I think people appreciate that in the fraternity,” said Reisler.

Both DLP members stressed the importance of the definition of fraternity. D'Alimonte explained, “Brotherhood means a lot of things to a lot of different people, but essentially when it comes down to it, we’re like a family with each other, and that’s the main thing I would like to stress. We’re not a political organization, and we’re not a bunch of gay partiers or something like that. We’re committed individuals bound by brotherhood.”

To find out more about DLP, you can visit their Facebook page, or email Sam Reisler at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .