While a myriad of advertisements and solicitations adorn bulletin boards and columns across Grounds every day, flyers sporting the catchphrase "Tired of Gay.com?" might have caught students' attention Tuesday.
These and other flyers advertising the Greek Men's Club were posted around Grounds and along Rugby Road Tuesday morning.
The club's purpose is to provide "a space and a place" to foster support for gay fraternity men, said Aaron Laushway, associate dean of students and director of fraternity and sorority life.
"It is important because these issues are not discussed openly in general, and clearly not in many student organizations, including fraternities and sororities," Laushway said. "In a fraternity, which emphasizes brotherhood, the atmosphere should always be one of support and acceptance."
Club Chair Matt Maring, a fourth-year Commerce student and member of Delta Upsilon, proposed the idea of a support group to Laushway early this semester.
"He approached me seeking the support of the Office" of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Laushway said. "I am happy to accept [the proposal] and support the group wholeheartedly."
The club is open to the members of all fraternities, including Inter-Fraternity Council, Black Fraternal Council and Multicultural Greek Council fraternities, Maring said. IFC President Ryan Ewalt said the IFC cares about the group's concerns, noting he had visited one of the group's meetings in the past.
In the two days the flyers have been posted, they have generated responses via the confidential e-mail account GreekMensClub@hotmail.com, Maring said.
He pointed out that the club has no affiliation with "Out on Rugby," the interest group exploring the possibility of starting a gay fraternity.
In addition to being a support group for bisexual, homosexual and questioning fraternity members, the club aims to provide an outlet for those who are not openly gay, Maring said.
"I believe that there are non-heterosexual guys in the Greek system," he said. "I personally don't know anyone else who is [openly gay] in a fraternity and I thought that was a problem."
The Web site on the flyers, Gay.com, is an anonymous online chat community that includes a Charlottesville chat room, Maring said.
"A lot of closeted people go there to meet other gays in the Charlottesville area," he said. "What I'm trying to do is provide a place where [fraternity members] can get offline and go into the real world and start dealing with these issues instead of hiding behind a computer."
Although in the past there have been openly gay fraternity men, the predominantly heterosexual fraternity system is not an open environment for gay men to reveal their sexual orientation, Maring said.
Laushway said, however, that there have been openly gay fraternity members.
"There have been openly gay men in [Inter-Fraternity Council] fraternities who had the acceptance and support of their brothers, and were not only active members but [in some cases] officers," Laushway said. "In the last few years, two gay men have been presidents of their fraternities."
A similar informal group, including both fraternity and sorority members, existed two years ago but dissipated as its members graduated and left the University, Laushway said.
Although the Greek Men's Club currently is aimed toward fraternity members, Maring said club members plan to discuss involving sorority members.
"I would fully support a similar effort among sorority women, but I have not been approached," Laushway said.
The club has planned an initial meeting, though for confidentiality purposes the meeting time and place are undisclosed to the general public. Those interested in attending can obtain information via e-mail, Maring said.
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