DLFCentaur’s YellVolume 2011-3 What is the Yell? Centaur’s Yell is compiled and published by the Office of Whither Our Communications for the Transgender Members? brotherhood of Delta Lambda Phi. Br. Joel Corcoran, General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs, Alpha Xi We are always looking for stories. Last July, our National Convention approved sweeping changes to our membership policies re- We want to make this publication garding transgender members and adopted a proclamation of intent for doing so. Adopting these about you, our Brotherhood and directives capped a two-year effort to review DLP’s membership policies, engage in deep discus- topics important to us all. sions about gender identity and expression, and assess all of the ethical, moral, and legal dimen- sions of the issues. On the surface, the changes seem rather slight, but I believe these changes Please send us your stories, your will profoundly impact DLP and could also dramatically advance the civil rights for transgender photos, and your rants and raves, people overall. so that we can strive to create the best publication ever. The revisions that National Convention enacted essentially boil down to two core changes in our membership policies. First, DLP affirmed that we are a “fraternity of men,” but clarified that we If you have questions on what to define “men” according to gender identity, not physiological sex. In fact, anyone who identifies submit, or how to submit - or just himself as a man during his college experience or at the time of initiation is eligible to join DLP need help, you can always email (assuming he meets all other selection criteria). Second, National Convention adopted the posi- us. tion that we would never request any member to offer documentary proof that he is a man under any circumstances, even if we face some external legal challenge. Editorial Staff DLP has always admitted and accepted transgender members. We’ve admitted transgender men Christopher Newman over the years and stuck by the adage of “once a Brother, always a Brother”, even when some of [email protected] our alumni later identified as women. In 2003 and 2004, we took the step of affirmatively stating that transgender men were admissable and would not question the gender of any member, but Jeffrey Au Spafford added one qualifier: if anyone outside the fraternity ever challenged the sex of a member, the [email protected] fraternity had the option of requiring some objective proof of sex (e.g., a drivers’ license or birth certificate). We also left unanswered the question of what to do about fraternity members who Rob Lydick were initiated as men, but later became transgender women. [email protected] This year, National Convention brilliantly turned the question on its head. We essentially con- Keith Nishida flated sex discrimination and gender discrimination together. We adopted the view that a man’s [email protected] identity is not dependent only on biology, it is a complex mix of factors. We are no longer a “single-sex fraternity,” we are a “fraternity of men” because what makes a man is more than Orie Givens merely DNA, cells, and tissues. [email protected] From a legal perspective, we have adopted an emerging view in sex discrimination law, but pushed it further as a matter of civil rights and social justice in following our mandate to lead in determining the rights and privileges of individuals in society. Some – but not nearly all – courts have adopted the view that discrimination on the basis of gender identity is a form of discrimina- tion on the basis of sex. This view essentially says that a person’s gender identity influences an observer’s perception of sex; if that observer illegally discriminates against that person because she is actually a woman, or simply because he perceives her as a woman, the legal harm is the same. DLP took that view several steps further and simply said that perception doesn’t matter. Illegal discrimination is wrong – period – regardless of whether that discrimination is based on a person’s sex, gender identity, or gender expression. A person’s worth, dignity, and character are no more dependent on his gender identity or gender expression than his biology. The directives that National Convention set down will go into effect this January. We have made our presence known by adopting these policies, and we will soon Make Our Presence Make a Difference in the lives of many, many people. Page 1 A Letter From The National Trustee Br. Jeffrey M. Thompson, PhD, Trustee, Delta Hello My Brothers, Welcome back to another school year! I hope that many of your Chapters and Colonies had a great recruitment period this Fall and that we’ll have many excited new Brothers and Colonists by the end of the semester’s pledge education period. The new pledge education manual from the Fraternity Office is sure to be a help in getting these new members up to speed on DLP. I hope that you’ll also incorpo- rate this year’s theme: Building Brotherhood Starts with You. Our theme is all about exploring one aspect of how we make our presence make a difference within DLP and within our communities: emphasizing that we all have a part to play in making a difference. Building Brotherhood started as soon as you came to that first Rush event or first learned about DLP. You realized that there was something special about DLP and that DLP was something that you wanted to be a part of. These were individuals who each contributed something important but, somehow, the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. A group of Brothers committed to themselves as family but also dedicated to making their campus and their community a better place. By the end of the rush period, you began to see where you fit into this group and eventually you were extended and granted a bid to join. As a pledge, you learned about the history and traditions of the Fraternity, but even during the pledge period you were taught about making your presence make a difference through the required service project. You learned about the pledge pin and how its six sides fit together to make a continuous shape and, through pledge education, you learned that each one of you was important to the pledge class’ success; in other words, you learned that building the Brotherhood started with you because you are an essential component. For those reading this that are Active Brothers or Colonists, you know that building your Chapter starts with you as you conduct rush and pledge education each semester. You get the chance to help others understand the purposes of DLP and send them out into the world to make their presence make a difference. Truly, I am able to write this today because twenty-five years ago one man, our founder Vernon L. Strickland, III, decided that building Brotherhood among gay, bisexual and progressive men would begin with him as he founded Delta Lambda Phi. I encourage you to treat each of your pledge classes with no less seriousness and dedication than our Founder treated that first pledge class in Washington D.C. – this is how we will keep making a difference. Too often within our Fraternity, we allow our Alumni to fade away from the Fraternity. In doing so, we miss a tremendous opportunity in terms of the talent available for us to be successful as an organization. As we think about our theme, recognize that there is no time limit speci- fied e.g., it’s not “Building Brotherhood begins with you and ends when you graduate.” As I look forward into the next few years, I see a great need for volunteers in the Fraternity Office as well as in Local Alumni Associations supporting our Chapters. When you are graduating or considering Alumnus status (or if you’re reading this as an Alumnus), please consider keeping a part of your time and talents available for Building our Brotherhood. In Brotherhood, Jeffrey M. Thompson, PhD PagePage 22 The “Grand Poobah” Making a Long-Lasting Difference Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Honors 20 Years of Committment Br. Ernie Hall, Immediate Past Trustee, Mu & Br. Lou Camera, Board of Directors, Iota Br. Lou Camera was honored by the Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (SIGLFF) with the Inaugural Grand Poobah Award. This award was presented during the Festival’s 20th Anniversary Gala to recognize Br.Camera’s contribution to the festival’s success over its twenty-year history. When asked about the award, Br. Camera said “He’s honored. But more importantly, he wants to recognize the Lambda Men who helped get the festival started and the Delta Lambda Phi Alumni who continue to volunteer at the festival today.” Br. Camera also has the distinction of being Delta Lambda Phi’s First National Executive Director, a member of our National Board of Direc- tors, Treasurer of the Delphi Foundation, and Founding Faculty for the Delta Force Leadership Academy. As you read the story in his own words below, it’s worth noting that even though the Iota Chapter is closed at the moment, the Lambda Men who embodied the chapter continue to impact their community and the DLP Alumni continue to represent our Brotherhood in Sacramento. “I had a great experience last evening (10/1/2011). Many of you know that our Iota Chapter started the Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival way back in 1992 along with the Sac State Gay Lesbian Alliance at Sac[ramento] State.