Who's Qualified?
I'm not sure why this was posted, except to start a dialog about gay members of the fraternity. Let me preface this by saying I do not personally know Joe Bertolino, but I do appreciate his willingness to volunteer his services to the fraternity. He is not up for re-election to the GC, so it will be up to the GC members to decide whether or not he will become president--not the delegates at large. The question I raise is given his relative inexperience as a member of Delta Sigma Phi, is he the best qualified person for the job?
Joe is not the first member of the GC to be gay. I knew Ed Runser and he was a wonderful member. Although I am as heterosexual as they come, I have known two brothers in my own chapter who were gay and it recently came to light Jon Hockman was gay. I want to be honest in stating I would not particularly want a gay roommate, but I must acknowledge the fine people I have known who happen to be gay.
Delta Sigma Phi was founded on open membership. We are supposed to chose men of character who fit our values. What we must reconcile is how gay members fit the value of "the sacredness of the family bond" in our society today. All of us need to be open with our feelings on this issue so we can better understand each other.
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