During the Pride parade on Saturday, members of Gamma Rho Lambda sorority would occasionally stop to pose in Greek letters. Click on the photo to view a slideshow of the parade. (Photo by Ana Ramirez)As an emcee announced the sorority's name and people cheered around them, members of the all-inclusive sorority Gamma Rho Lambda used their bodies to form the letters G, R and L during Saturday’s Phoenix Pride Parade.
More than 15 members from both the ASU and NAU chapters of the organization marched in the parade. In front of them, a white pick-up truck with the words Gamma Rho Lambda and the message “Born this gay” in bright colors trailed along the 1-mile distance between Thomas and Indian School Roads in Phoenix.
The night before, the first all-inclusive sorority in the nation organized an alternative prom for high school students on the Tempe campus. Queer Prom attracted more than 100 students to the Secret Garden on Friday.
Sorority president Lauren Harding, a film and media studies senior, said many members had talked to Gay-Straight Alliances in high schools in Tempe, including Marcos de Niza and Corona del Sol. Gamma Rho Lambda has been working on the prom for the whole semester.
“We did it so they could have a prom where they could feel accepted and could bring whoever they wanted,” she said. “This is a place where they don’t have to feel judged at all.”
Political science senior Jess Jordan, a member of Gamma Rho Lambda, came up with the idea of Queer Prom. He said he wanted to organize a free event where high school students could bring same-sex dates without fear of repercussions. He also said ASU students were welcome to attend.
“ASU students (are) encouraged to come to prom as well if they weren’t out in high school or didn’t get to enjoy it to the fullest,” he said.
English senior Angelita Reyes, the vice president of Gamma Rho Lambda, said the sorority decided to throw the prom, so high school students would know that if they chose to attend ASU, they would have a safe space to be themselves.
Harding said the sorority participated in the parade because it wanted people to know there is a place for them within ASU, and that Gamma Rho Lambda supports the LGBTQ community in Arizona. This year marked the 10th year the sorority marched in the parade.
“We have lesbian, bisexual, ally (and) transgender members,” she said. “It’s really just a place for people to come and feel accepted for who they are.”
Members did their traditional howl and chanted, “One, two, three, four, GRL’s are at the door. Five, six, seven, eight, sororities aren’t just for straights” as they marched. They also gave out beads with fliers to promote their annual drag show, Kingdom Come.
The drag show will end the sorority's week of Pride events. The event, co-organized with Sigma Phi Beta, will raise funds for the Joshua Tree Feeding Program, a nonprofit organization that aims to feed HIV-positive residents of Maricopa and Pinal Counties with low incomes.
The show will take place Thursday in the Scottsdale club Afterlife and will feature performances by two Gamma Rho Lambda members. Cover charge for the show is $7.
Reyes, who had marched in the parade last year, said all-inclusive sororities and fraternities are important, because it’s easier to bond with other members who have gone through similar experiences.
“We have gone through the same process of coming out. … We’re more open to understanding,” she said. “We love everyone.”
Criminal justice and criminology junior and member of Gamma Rho Lambda Sam Valdovin, who drove the truck, said she decided to join because she wanted to be part of an organization that accepted everyone.
Valdovin said she likes the festival, because it’s great to be surrounded by a community of people who support and understand others.
“It was really awesome being able to be who you are,” she said. “It’s great being able to express yourself and not have to hide it.”
People were very responsive to the sorority as it marched, Valdovin said.
Psychology senior Tabitha Wasilio, member of Gamma Rho Lambda, had never been to the parade before. She said it was exciting to see so many people supporting them.
Wasilio joined Gamma Rho Lambda this semester because she wanted to get more in touch with the LGBTQ community on campus. She said that after this experience, she plans to attend the festival next year.
“Most sororities aren’t all-inclusive,” she said. “It’s just nice to have people that understand you and are there for you.”
Reach the reporter at dpbaltaz@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @dpalomabp
