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LGBTQ fraternities and sororities have existed since the 1980s, with Delta Phi Upsilon being established in 1985 and Delta Lambda Phi in 1986. These groups are intended to provide members with access to Greek life without fear of homophobic reprisal or behavior by fellow members, resulting from a history of homophobia within longer-established organizations.
In addition to groups established for LBGTQ members, in the 21st century, many Greek letter organizations have become LGBTQ-friendly by adopting diversity and inclusivity statements. In addition, some single-sex or co-educational fraternities and sororities have become gender-inclusive.
Following are LGBTQ-specific sororities and women's fraternities.
Name | Symbols | Chartered | Founding location | Type | Scope | Emphasis | Status | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpha Lambda Zeta | ΑΛΖ | 2006 | Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia | Women's service fraternity; non-collegiate | National | masculine-identifying lesbians | Active | [1] [2] [3] |
Alpha Pi Delta | ΑΠΔ | June 28, 2010 | Dallas, Texas | Service | National | lesbians of color | Active | [4] [5] |
Beta Phi Omega | ΒΦΩ | 2000 | Tallahassee Florida | Sorority | National | feminine lesbian or bi-sexual of color | Active | [6] [3] |
Gamma Rho Lambda | GRL | 2003 | Tempe, Arizona | Social sorority | National | LGBT-founded for women, trans women, trans men, and non-binary | Active | [7] [8] [9] |
Eta Epsilon Gamma | ΗΕΓ | 2009 | Jackson, Mississippi | Social sorority | Local | Females at birth who identifies as cis-gender bisexual or lesbians | Active | [10] |
Eta Iota Mu | ΗΙΜ | 2008 | Jackson, Mississippi | Social women's fraternity | Local | Masculine identified cis-gender women and openly transgender males | Acitve | [11] |
Kappa Alpha Lambda | ΚΑΛ | 2003 | Clark Atlanta University | Service sorority | National | feminine lesbian | Active | [12] |
Kappa Omega Omicron | ΚΏΟ | 2009 | Southern California | Women's professional fraternity, non-collegiate | National | masculine identified women and trans men | Active | [13] [14] [3] |
Kappa Theta Epsilon | ΚΘΕ | 2009 | Houston, Texas | Professional and entrepreneur sorority | National | Lesbian | Active | [15] |
Kappa Xi Omega | ΚΞΩ | 2004 | Florida | Service sorority; non-colliegiate | National | professional lesbians | Active | [16] [3] |
Lambda Delta Lambda | ΛΔΛ | 1988 | University of California, Davis | LGBTQIA Sorority | National | queer, gay, lesbians, bisexuals, and all genders and sexualities | Active | [17] [18] |
Omicron Epsilon Pi | ΟΕΠ | 2000 | Tallahassee, Florida | Sorority, non-collegiate | National | lesbians, particularly those of color | Active | [19] |
Sigma Omega Phi | ΣΩΦ | 2008 | Atlanta, Georgia | Women's service fraternity | National | masculine-identified lesbian | Active | [20] [21] [3] |
Zeta Theta Psi | ΖΘΨ | 2013 | Heidelberg University | Sorority | Local | female identifying students with non-gendered corollary (Zeta Embers) | Active |
Following are LGBTQ-specific fraternities.
Name | Symbols | Chartered | Formation location | Type | Scope | Emphasis | Status | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beta Gamma Pi | ΒΓΠ | 2009 | Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) | LGBTQ fraternity, non-collegiate | National | queer-affirming siblinghood | Active | [3] [22] |
Delta Lambda Phi | ΔΛΦ | 1986 | Washington, D.C; | Social fraternity, collegiate and non-collegiate | International | gay, bisexual, transgender, and progressive men | Active | [23] [24] [25] [26] [18] |
Delta Phi Upsilon | ΔΦΥ | 1995 | Houston, Texas | Social fraternity, non-colligiate | National | gay men of color | Active | [27] [3] |
Kappa Psi Kappa | ΚΨΚ | 2001 | Tallahassee, Florida | Fratnerity; non collegiate | National | progressive men of all sexual orientations | Active | [3] |
Sigma Epsilon Omega | ΣΕΩ | 2007 | University of California, Berkeley | Gay and queer fraternity | Local | all genders | Active | [28] [29] [30] |
Sigma Phi Beta | ΣΦΒ | 2003 | Arizona State University | Society fraternity | National | All who identify as male, gay, straight, bisexual, and transgender men | Active | [26] |
The following Greek letter organizations are gender-inclusive, meaning they accept males, females, trans, non-binary, etc. into their membership. This list does not include organizations that self-define as co-educational; although such groups may well be gender-inclusive in practice, they have yet to modify their policies and language to be inclusive at the institutional level.
Name | Symbols | Chartered | Founding location | Type | Scope | Gender | Statis | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpha Delta Phi Society | ΑΔΦ | 1992 | Various | Literary society | National | gender-inclusive | Active | [31] |
The Euglossian Society | ΕΥΓ | 1913 | Heidelberg University | Greek society | Local | queer, trans and gender inclusive | Active | |
Lambda Alpha Lambda | ΛΑΛ | 2018 | Florida Atlantic University | service LGBTQ+ diaternity | Local | gender inclusive | Active | [32] [33] |
Lambda Delta Xi | ΛΔΞ | 2014 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | service LGBTQ diaternity | Local | gender inclusive | Active | [34] [35] |
Nu Delta | ΝΔ | 1977 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Fraternity | Local | all gender identities | Active | [36] |
Phi Sigma Pi | ΦΣΠ | 1916 | University of Central Missouri | Honor Fraternity | National | gender-inclusive | Active | [37] [38] |
Th Delta Sigma | ΘΔΣ | 2001 | University at Buffalo | Multicultural fraternity | National | gender-inclusive | Active | [39] |
Theta Pi Sigma | ΘΠΣ | 2005 | University of California, Santa Cruz | "Frarority" | National | queer, gender-neutral | Active | [40] |
Zeta Delta Xi | ΖΔΞ | 1987 | Brown University | Fraternity | Local | all-gender | Active | [41] |
Sigma Omicron Rho | ΣΟΡ | 2009 | University of Virginia | Diaternity | Local | LGBTQ+ and allied gender-inclusive | Active | [42] |
The following fraternities and sororities have adopted LGBTQ-inclusive policies at the national or institutional level. These policies are openly shared and are specific, rather than general non-discrimination statements.
Name | Symbol | Chartered | Founding location | Type | Scope | Policy | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpha Chi Omega | ΑΧΩ, | 1885 | DePauw University | Women's fraternity, social | International | open to any individual who identifies as a woman and trans woman, any sexual preference | [7] [43] |
Alpha Delta Pi | ΑΔΠ | 1851 | Wesleyan College | Sorority, social | International | open to any individual who identifies as a woman, including trans women | [44] |
Alpha Epsilon Phi | ΑΕΦ | 1909 | Barnard College | Sorority, Jewish social | National | open to any individual who identifies as a woman, regardless of the gender assigned at birth. | [45] |
Alpha Gamma Delta | ΑΓΔ | 1904 | Syracuse University | Sorority, social | International | open to women of any sexual orientation and any individual who identifies as a woman | [46] |
Alpha Omicron Pi | ΑΟΠ | 1897 | Barnard College | Sorority, social | International | open to any individual who identifies and lives as a woman with any sexual orientation | [47] |
Alpha Sigma Tau | ΑΣΤ | 1899 | Eastern Michigan University | Sorority, social | National | open to women and transgender persons who identify as women with any sexual orientation | [48] |
Alpha Xi Delta | ΑΞΔ | 1893 | Lombard College | Sorority, social | National | open to any individual who identifies and lives as a woman with any sexual orientation | [49] |
Acacia | 1904 | University of Michigan | Fraternity, social | International | inclusive of gender identity/expression or sexual orientation | [50] | |
Delta Delta Delta | ΔΔΔ | 1888 | Boston University | Sorority | International | open to any individual who identifies and lives as a woman or any sexual orientation | [51] |
Delta Gamma | ΔΓ | 1873 | Lewis School for Girls | Women's fraternity, social | International | open to any individual who identifies as a woman and any sexual orientation | [52] |
Delta Phi Epsilon | ΔΦΕ | 1917 | New York University Law School | Sorority | International | explicitly open to trans and non-binary individuals | [53] |
Delta Tau Delta | ΔΤΔ | 1858 | Bethany College | Fraternity, social | International | explicitly inclusive of individuals who identify as "gay, bisexual-transgender and any other non-heteronormative sexual orientations, gender expression, or genre identities" | [54] |
Delta Upsilon | ΔΥ | 1834 | Williams College | Fraternity | International | explicitly welcomes any individuals who identify as male, transgender men, and men of any sexual orientation | [55] |
Gamma Phi Beta | ΓΦΒ | 1874 | Syracuse University | Sorority | International | open to any individual who identifies as a woman | [56] [43] |
Kappa Alpha Theta | ΚΑΘ | 1870 | DePauw University | Sorority | International | open to any individual who identifies as a woman | [57] |
Kappa Delta | ΚΔ | 1897 | Longwood University | Sorority | National | open to any individual who identifies as a woman and women of any sexual orientation | [58] |
Kappa Kappa Gamma | ΚΚΓ | 1870 | Monmouth College | Sorority | International | open to any individual who identifies as a woman and women of any sexual orientation | [59] |
Omega Delta Phi | ΩΔΦ | 1987 | Texas Tech University | Fraternity, multicultural | National | inclusive of all men, regardless of assigned sex at birth | [60] |
Phi Omega | ΦΩ | 1962 | Cornell University | Sorority, social | National | female-identifying and non-binary | [61] [62] |
Phi Sigma Sigma | ΦΣΣ | 1913 | Hunter College | Sorority | International | open to any individual who identifies as a woman with any sexual orientation | [63] |
Pi Lambda Phi | ΠΛΦ | 1895 | Yale University | Fraternity | International | explicitly inclusive of gay and transgender men | [64] |
Sigma Chi | ΣΧ | 1855 | Miami University | Fraternity, literary and social | International | open to men of any sexual orientation | [65] |
Sigma Delta Tau | ΣΔΤ | 1917 | Miami University | Sorority, social | International | open to any who identify and live as a woman of any sexual orientation | [66] |
Sigma Phi Chi | ΣΦΧ | 2001 | Austin College | Local | Collegiate | Christian | [67] |
Sigma Sigma Sigma | ΣΣΣ | 1898 | Longwood University | Sorority, social | International | open to any individual who identifies as a woman | [68] |
Tau Kappa Epsilon | ΤΚΕ | 1899 | Illinois Wesleyan University | Fraternity, social | International | explicitly inclusive of gay and transgender men | [69] |
Theta Phi Alpha | ΘΦΑ | 1912 | University of Michigan | Sorority, social | National | explicitly open to trans women and any individual who identifies as a woman | [70] |
Zeta Alpha Delta | ΖΑΔ | 2007 | Oxford, Mississippi | Fraternity, non-collegiate | National | inclusive men of all sexual orientations, male-identified individuals | [71] [72] [3] |
Zeta Tau Alpha | ΖΤΑ | 1898 | Longwood University | Sorority | International | open to individuals who consistently identify and live as a woman of any sexual orientation | [73] |
Dartmouth College is host to many fraternities and sororities, and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. In the fall of 2022, 35 percent of male students belong to a fraternity and 36 percent of students belong to a sorority. Greek organizations at Dartmouth provide both social and residential opportunities for students and are the only single-sex residential option on campus. Greek organizations at Dartmouth do not provide dining options, as regular meal service has been banned in Greek houses since 1909.
The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) is an umbrella organization for 26 national and international women's sororities throughout the United States and Canada. Panhellenic refers to the group's members being autonomous social Greek-letter societies of college women and alumnae.
While the traditional social fraternity is a well-established mainstay across the United States at institutions of higher learning, alternatives – in the form of social fraternities that require doctrinal and behavioral conformity to the Christian faith – developed in the early 20th century. They continue to grow in size and popularity.
Cultural interest fraternities and sororities, in the North American student fraternity and sorority system, refer to general, social organizations oriented to students having a special interest in a culture or cultural identity.
The expansion of Greek letter organizations into Canada was an important stage of the North American fraternity movement, beginning in 1879 with the establishment of a chapter of Zeta Psi at the University of Toronto. In 1883, the same fraternity established a chapter at McGill University. Other early foundations were Kappa Alpha Society at Toronto in 1892 and at McGill in 1899, and Alpha Delta Phi at Toronto in 1893 and at McGill in 1897. The first sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, was established in Toronto in 1887. In 1902, the first international chapter of Phi Delta Theta was established at McGill University as the Quebec Alpha.