OH BROTHER: BioE junior Chris Juan and engineering undeclared freshman Matt Royal are trying to start an alternative fraternity on campus for gay, bisexual, transgender, and progressive men.

Two engineering students want to bring gay fraternity to Berkeley

As an only child, engineering undeclared freshman Matt Royal always dreamed of having siblings.

The Berkeley Greek system appealed to him because it was a chance to gain a house full of brothers. Last semester he rushed. However, the openly gay student soon realized that the traditional fraternity system was not for him.

“I felt like the odd man out. I didn’t want it to be a big deal to bring a guy to social events,” says Royal.

In typical engineering problem-solving style, Royal came up with a solution. He would start a chapter of Delta Lambda Phi (DLP), a national fraternity for gay and bisexual men, on the Berkeley campus.

“I really like what the Greek system stands for, brotherhood and community, but I decided that I could do better than what already existed,” he says.

BioE student Chris Juan had the same idea. Before transferring to Berkeley last semester Juan was a DLP brother at the University of Cincinnati.

“I had such a good experience with the brothers in Cincinnati, I thought that it would be great to bring that bonding experience to Berkeley,” says Juan.

According to Juan, Berkeley had a DLP chapter in the 1990s, but it folded shortly after it started when the founding members graduated.

After getting to know each other last semester, Royal and Juan decided they would try to bring DLP back to Berkeley.

“Since Chris has experience as a brother, he’s a really great help in this process, and it’s great to not be in this alone anymore,” says Royal.

There are some challenges unique to starting a gay fraternity, says Royal. One example is recruiting.

“We need to strike a balance so that we are visible enough to find people who want to join but not too visible so people who aren’t openly gay are afraid to join,” says Royal.

Because there are so many gay organizations on campus, there is a fractured feeling to the gay community here, says Royal. However, the tolerant Berkeley environment has been conducive to starting their organization, and the pair hope DLP will bring cohesion to the campus’s large, splintered gay community.

Besides offering a wealth of support to gay students on campus, Royal wants the fraternity to focus on serving the community. He sees volunteer work as the Berkeley DLP’s staple mission.

Also, while the fraternity will be inclusive of all gay and bisexual students it won’t exclude any men. Membership is open to any progressive individuals, says Royal.

Royal is also very involved in student government as a queer advocate on campus. Balancing the fraternity, his advocacy and an engineering class load isn’t easy. But because he’s passionate about what he’s doing it’s easy to find time, he says.

“Berkeley is a huge place, and this fraternity is an opportunity to make it a little smaller and little more comfortable for queer students,” he adds.

Anyone interesting in finding out more about the Berkeley DLP chapter can e-mail Matt Royal at mathyoo@hotmail.com or Chris Juan at cjuan83@berkeley.edu.

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