A better system for Greek gays, but some say more needed

David Azzolina, a 1978 College alumnus, remembers being spit at by fraternity brothers who lived at the corner of 36th and Locust streets.

The fraternity, Phi Kappa Sigma - more commonly known as "Skulls" - used to humiliate its pledges by making them "ask people to sign a petition for gay rights and dance together on Locust Walk," Azzolina said.

And when Azzolina, who is gay, confronted the fraternity about the practice, he provoked the aforementioned response.

The Greek system, and fraternities in particular, is often viewed as anti-gay and conducive to homophobia. But some say that, since Azzolina's experience, the situation has improved significantly - although not entirely.

Phi Kappa Sigma, for example, now has a number of gay brothers. College senior Patrick Fisher is one of them.

"It has been positive, for sure," he said, referring to his experience in the fraternity.

Fisher said he was out when he rushed the fraternity, but the issue of his sexuality "never came up."

Wharton and College junior Jon Kiman, a brother at Pi Kappa Phi, is also gay and said he came out his sophomore year, after he had gone through the pledging process.

"I've had a good experience," he said. "My friends are a good support system."

His fraternity brothers even threw him a party when he returned to campus after going home to come out to his parents.

Scott Reikofski, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, wrote in an e-mail that the environment for gays in the Greek system has improved in the 12 years that he's been at Penn.

"At the same time, there are chapters that are not as supportive, and maybe not as experienced at understanding and dealing with gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered members," Reikofski added.

Kiman particularly noted that the language in fraternities "is not necessarily supportive of homosexuals."

Wharton junior Austin Pena, who is the president of the InterFraternity Council and is straight, agreed with Kiman during a panel held on March 21 as part of QPenn - the week-long celebration of LGBT life at Penn - that discussed the intersection of the LGBT and Greek communities.

"I agree it's a really bad problem," he said. "It's that language that you hear at frats that really perpetuates the stereotype" that fraternities are homophobic.

While Kiman and Fisher illustrate the openness of the fraternity system relative to years past, other current students have stories that highlight the need for further improvement.

For example, College senior Joshua Matz faced intense verbal abuse after being "forced out of the closet" by a brother in his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Society.

Matz said comments like "I don't think you should be in this house because I think its disgusting" and "How many gay guys are you bringing to the next party" were common.

He added that, before he came out, his roommate in the fraternity casually said he'd "rather kill a roommate than live with him if he was gay."

And every time Matz sponsored a new member, "their sexuality was questioned" by other frat brothers, he said.

Matz left Kappa Alpha as a sophomore.

"I haven't looked back," he said, adding that other smaller issues contributed to his decision to leave.

College junior Adam Dulberg, who is the former Kappa Alpha president and is straight, said the fraternity "has no problem with homosexuality at all."

"In our opinion, Josh's experience was based more on personality clashes than on his sexuality," Dulberg added. "He has his own take on things, and we respect his perspective."

And Mark Bachman-Panayides, an openly gay member of Kappa Alpha, says that "the house as a whole has been extremely kind to me - I haven't had any problems."

"I've had a great time," he said.

Comments (15)

I could have sworn that earlier in the year, the DP reported that Adam Dulberg deactivated from KA (see the link below). Now its calling him a brother. What gives? http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2006/10/09/News/Living.In.A.Frat.House.Pledging.Not.Included-2339085.shtml

I did deactivate earlier this year over completely unrelated issues but have been back as an active member since the beginning of second semester. I guess the DP forgot to cover my return to KA. Regardless, I was still President of the house when Mark Bachman rushed and pledged the fraternity, and Josh Matz was my big brother. Hope this clarifies things. -Adam

[QUOTE id="20c53504-3d8b-47f4-8abc-81d12be0f86f"]I did deactivate earlier this year over completely unrelated issues but have been back as an active member since the beginning of second semester. I guess the DP forgot to cover my return to KA. Regardless, I was still President of the house when Mark Bachman rushed and pledged the fraternity, and Josh Matz was my big brother. Hope this clarifies things. -Adam[/QUOTE] Adam is lying he was thrown out of the house because of his homosexuality. Thankfully he has since sought counsel from the same reverends that cured Ted Haggart. He doesn't like to talk about it so please do not bring it up especially in a forum as public as this one.

Not only is he a brother, but he is the sexiest brother.

I second that.

I could have sworn that Mark Bachman-Panayides isn't a Penn student. These recent, under-researched articles the DP is churning out show why the DP took back to back to back to back National Pacemaker Awards from 2000-2004 and none since. Shawn Safvi needs to hold his writers accountable for the limited scope of their stories.

I am gay...that is all

Dear Daily Pennsylvanian, We, the gay community, have discussed it amongst ourselves, and we have decided to ask you to please refrain from mentioning us in future issues of your periodical. The gay community at Penn and the larger Philadelphia area believe that linking ourselves to your paper does a disservice to the public image we try to present. The gay community strives to gain acceptance for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgendered individuals in the Philadelphia metro area and linking our community to your paper works counter to that goal. If we want to be mentioned in a reputable publication, we will grant interviews to Black Inches per usual. We wish you success in all your future endeavors, such as butchering quotes, writing pretentious editorials, writing moronic editorials, writing pretentious and moronic editorials, alerting us to important SPEC events, and all the other tasks vital to producing a daily wrapper for Greek Lady coupons. Best Regards, The Gay Community

this article is bullshit.

[QUOTE id="20c53504-3d8b-47f4-8abc-81d12be0f86f"]I did deactivate earlier this year over completely unrelated issues but have been back as an active member since the beginning of second semester. I guess the DP forgot to cover my return to KA. Regardless, I was still President of the house when Mark Bachman rushed and pledged the fraternity, and Josh Matz was my big brother. Hope this clarifies things. -Adam[/QUOTE] It is true Adam is a homosexual. That should not deter him from being a great student just like any number of individuals at this fine school. Being gay is nothing to be ashamed of

[QUOTE id="fda063db-3ca9-4b11-a6aa-a8e0f2faf3f1"]Mark Bachman is a sophomore at Penn. You are criticizing the DP for failing to research its articles. You should do a little research yourself. QUOTE] Wow 'J'. I could have sworn Mark Bachman's last name was Bachman, not Bachman-Panayides. With those research skills of yours, I think you could write errors for the daily pennsylvanian. At least have the journalistic integrity to post comments using your name. - Tony Pants

[QUOTE id="fda063db-3ca9-4b11-a6aa-a8e0f2faf3f1"]I could have sworn that Mark Bachman-Panayides isn't a Penn student. These recent, under-researched articles the DP is churning out show why the DP took back to back to back to back National Pacemaker Awards from 2000-2004 and none since. Shawn Safvi needs to hold his writers accountable for the limited scope of their stories.[/QUOTE] Mark Bachman is a sophomore at Penn. You are criticizing the DP for failing to research its articles. You should do a little research yourself.

I think further investigation is needed into why fraternities haven't been more welcoming of broken glass, empty water jugs, birching slack jaws, and giant spools. I have never been more ashamed to be a memeber of my fraternity.

You need to learn how to spell.

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