Dissatisfied with what he experienced with NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) fraternities, Chicago resident David Dodd has become a founder, marketer and managing member of a new fraternity, Theta Rho Nu.
According to its website, “the purpose of Theta Rho Nu is to provide synergetic connection between men excelling in scholastic and career advancement who are of similar life experience.”
In a recent talk with Windy City Times, Dodd talked about the beginnings, goals and parameters of the organization—and a lot more.
NOTE: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.
Windy City Times: Tell me about the genesis of Theta Rho Nu.
David Dodd: So, the genesis of Theta Rho Nu came about in March 2021. A colleague named Kenneth Freeman—the president and one of the founders of the organization—and I came up with the idea then. However, we were previously part of another organization that was similar to Theta Rho Nu; Black gay Greek culture is a phenomenon, and so we’re just one of many organizations that’s under that umbrella. We chose to walk away from that organization because it no longer served our interests and where we felt the organization should be going.
So, we came up with the concept of Theta Rho Nu, also called Throne, by the way; “THR” was, like, the acronym for “throne.” We really liked this idea of Black gay men serving as kings, and the crown is one of our emblems.
The purpose of the organization is centered on the intersectionality of being Black, gay and male, but also centered on academic and professional endeavors. We don’t really talk about or come together in that vein often, and we really wanted to center all the intersectionalities of who we are but in a professional environment. We want to harness all the collective energy of all these wonderful individuals and create great things for our community; we all want to help build men in our community who are trying to achieve greatness in their careers.
WCT: And this has been years in the making.
DD: Yes. Kenneth was in a space where he said, “Okay—I need to bring some folks on board and further this effort.” He brought on myself, Matt Richardson and Tony Mize Jr., and we all came together to carve out what the next steps would be to take the organization to the next level—centering the work of the organization, confirming bylaws and policies, [composing the] financial structure, putting together the process for initiation of membership, marketing and more. That’s how we all came into the fold; that all happened last year. We then worked together for the launch, which is taking place this fall.
WCT: So can any Black professional SGL [same-gender-loving] man apply?
DD: Yes. Any Black SGL man can apply—but there are requirements. Being at least 25 is one of them; also, we require applicants to have a high-school diploma; be in or have graduated from an advanced degree program; have letters of recommendation—that kind of thing. But, yes, we’re accepting anyone nationally. Our goal is that, once we understand that centering, we would grow the organization in those respective areas so we understand who’s coming to the table.
WCT: So you will have chapters?
DD: Most definitely… Quite a few people have hit me up in Chicago about wanting to participate so I anticipate that when we go through this first membership process, I will have some members from Chicago so we’ll start a Chicago chapter of Theta Rho Nu.
WCT: So what’s the hazing going to be like? I’m joking, of course.
DD: [Laughs] Everyone asks that question, but it’s a good one. When people think of Greek culture, they think there’s some crazy stuff you’ve got to do, like running through the fields at night.
Our process is pretty simple. We want to start the first line in January 2025, and we’re going to run an eight-to-10-week process during which you’ll have to learn about the organization. You’ll meet with us on a regular basis, as a group and as a team. There will be knowledge checks to make sure you’re learning about the organization, and then there will actually be a culminating event in March 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the organization [was] founded.
WCT: I remember reporting earlier this year on two fraternities of the so-called “Divine Nine”—Alpha Phi Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma—who had instituted anti-trans policies. What is your fraternity’s position regarding trans applicants?
DD: We are probably going to focus—at least, at this time—on cisgender men. I try to make sure that we can support someone in their total experience. Often, I—as a cisgender male—don’t know what the trans male experience is, and I want to honor that in a real way. I wouldn’t say that we’re anti-trans but I think, right now, we’re trying to focus on cisgender men. We have talked about growing to potentially include the trans male experience, but we want to make sure it makes sense and is the proper thing to do.
I don’t think you can have real inclusivity without being intentional about it—making sure you’re doing it for the right reasons and making sure you honor that experience. I don’t want to do that in the wrong way. I want to take the time to understand and bring in someone who can help us go in that direction. That is our goal.
I don’t plan to be in this seat for 20 years. My goals are to have the fraternity evolve and continue to work with the community. I’m always open to what growth, change and evolution look like. Talking with trans friends, I’ve learned that it has to be real. I don’t want to bring trans folks in and then we’re not doing the work; I want to make sure we have the right resources and tools.
WCT: And you may spawn similar fraternities down the line.
DD: Yes. It’s funny that you speak of that because any great LGBTQ space will focus on the trans male and trans female experiences as well as those who are non-binary—and even those organizations are looking to be more inclusive. But I think the beauty of the LGBTQ Greek world—from the lens that I’ve seen, for about 25 years—is that it creates the opportunity for us to honor all of our experiences under the umbrella. But I think it also the need to certain folks, because each letter [of LGBTQ+] has different needs and experiences.
WCT: Would the political affiliation of an applicant matter?
DD: No. None of that matters to us. We’re accepting folks for who they are. Political affiliation and connections don’t matter to us. We’re trying to be agnostic. We do ask that applicants be registered voters, put political affiliation doesn’t matter to us.
WCT: These are politically crazy times, as you know. I asked that question because I saw a poll that said that 20% of the Black men surveyed had said they plan to vote for Donald Trump.
DD: Wow—that’s interesting. I wonder why that is, and I think a lot of people feel Black men don’t necessarily want to be led by a Black woman.
WCT: I have to say that I did see someone say that on television.
DD: What? I think that’s such a bigger thing than politics; I think that’s about male/female behavior. That’s a whole other discussion.
Let me just say this, and this is just David Dodd’s opinion: Black women have been running this country as long as the day is long. A lot of aspects of this country have [come about] on the backs of Black women who have fought hard for their families, and have supported men—even when they didn’t deserve support. That, in itself, is deserving so [what that guy said] was foolish.
I have been uplifted my Black women my entire career. All of the shots and opportunities in my marketing/public relations/advertising career have happened because of a Black woman, to be honest—and I have to give them their flowers. Even when we started Theta Rho Nu, Black women asked, “What can we do to help? What can we do to share?” That’s why my lens is a little bit different.
We need the support of our community and allies—we can’t just do things solo. As long as you’re open to working with us, we’re open to working with you. That’s our stance, at the end of the day.
WCT: Is there anything else you wish to say about Theta Rho Nu?
DD: Yes. It’s a labor of love and it’s something I feel we deserve to have in our community. We need to have an organization that is willing to pull the collective resources of our community to further us as men in our personal and professional endeavors. But also, how can we take this information and energy, and create something great for the community that’s going to help it achieve the same thing? We need to continue and grow that.
I’ve seen that in Chicago. There are some amazing men here who are doing some wonderful things in the community and who have these talents—and we don’t know about them. We need to bring those energies together to create greatness. And, hopefully—through Theta Rho Nu—we’re able to do that. We want to have brotherhood and service, but we want to make sure we bring in the right people across this country to help achieve that and to give back to the community.
More information about Theta Rho Nu is at this link.
The post Theta Rho Nu: A new fraternity for Black SGL men appeared first on Windy City Times.