youthful thinking
by rikki bower
Going Greek... I was hesitant about joining a fraternity because I didn’t
think I would fit in. I’m not as trendy as most young gay college students.
Although, I am well aware of the fact that not all gays are the best dress-
ers (I have seen some real tragic messes!) I assumed that a gay fraternity
GoinG
would bring together only the trendiest party boys.
My assumption was wrong. The fraternity that I was semi-forced to
rush into by a friend turned out to be an incredibly welcoming group
and a diverse spectrum of members. Another really cool thing is the set
of values that the fraternity stands for. When I learned these things, my
hesitation was lessened and I continued going to rush the events to get
in. Eventually I was offered a bid, which I didn’t think was going to hap-
pen because sometimes I can be very passive. I remember on the morn-
ing of my interview I went to several stores looking for the perfect outfit.
I was freaking out. I had nothing to wear. I thought everyone who was
applying was going to be wearing really nice clothes. We were informed
that dressing up was required and that no outfit is too much—we should
truly express ourselves. I thought after the interview I could breeze
through my pledge process with my seven other pledge brothers.
Was I wrong! They give us a “test” every Sunday! My life is already full
with my job and schoolwork load, now I have this whole “Greek” thing
on my plate. Not only do I have to memorize fraternity history, I have
to learn the intimate life details of 12 new people. I recall being at one
meeting where all my pledge brothers and I had to disclose our penis
size, whether we are cut or uncut and favorite sexual position… as well
as the famous “top or bottom” question! On top of all these exciting new
details I have to memorize about my brothers, I need to earn 5,000 points
while doing it. We earn these points by running into our other pledge
brothers around campus or town, but I never seem to have the time to
run into anyone. So a few weeks after the bids were handed out we all
had to go camping together, to bond and connect and all that fun stuff. I
love camping. In fact, I used to go camping every summer as a kid. But for
this particular trip, the details of the campsite were withheld… and well,
I am not a big fan of surprise. I am one who likes to be over-prepared, so I
was sure to fill my luggage with first aid kits, snake bite kits and of course,
shower kits. I also had to bring my laptop and all my school books to do
homework. As imagined, I didn’t get much homework done. The retreat
ended up being loads of fun and I was happy to gain a few more gay guy
friends.
What happens when you have a room full of gay boys? Drama, drama
and more drama. Something new is always happening. Someone broke
the hands-off policy, another one got caught drinking, and those cell
phone cameras can be deadly. There is enough gossip to put Perez Hil-
ton out of business. One of my pledge brothers dropped out. I thought
I was going to be the first to drop out, sometimes my schedule is so
hectic. I just don’t have time for extra things. I’m glad that I am still in
the game. Even though the games and rituals sometimes seem a bit
Greek
“corny” along with the stress of obtaining points and all the conflicting
personalities of my pledge brothers, I am still happy that I was forced
to join a fraternity. I am learning to love it and now I can even recite the
Greek alphabet in seven seconds! Next spring, if you are a gay student
at any college or university in California, be sure to check out Delta
Lambda Phi. It might be the right fraternity for you. Who knows? Maybe
you’ll have a great rush experience and make about 12 new gay friends!
Check out
sites.dlp.org/alphadelta for more information about the
local chapter.
22 RAGE monthly | December 2009
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