Two longtime members of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority — including the former president of the National Foundation — say they were ousted by the organization because of their support for a controversial lawsuit over the admission of transgender members at the University of Wyoming.
Patsy Levang and Cheryl Tuck-Smith – both active 50-year members of Kappa Kappa Gamma – were summarily dismissed from the sorority in late October for what the Executive Director described as several violations of the organization’s guidelines related to the lawsuit Wyoming, the right-wing International Women’s Forum (IWF) said.
“I was heartbroken when six councilors voted me out, however, I will not remain silent about the truth,” Levang, former President of the Kappa Kappa Gamma National Foundation told IWF about the cuts.
Tuck-Smith added that he was “hurt” by KKG’s decision to end his membership after decades of contributions.
“I am…disturbed because KKG has become a political tool instead of an organization that promotes women,” she lamented.
Patsy Levang was removed from KKG earlier this month.JCCA
“My dismissal only motivates me to educate others about the dangers of DEI which in reality does not support diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Levang and Tuck-Smith are vocal supporters of six members of the University of Wyoming Kappa Kappa Gamma who are suing the national sorority over the admission of Artemis Langford, who is a trans woman.
The suit was dismissed by a district court judge in August on the grounds that Kappa Kappa Gamma’s bylaws did not include a definition of what it meant to be a “woman.”
Cheryl Tuck-Smith was also fired from the organization because she was accused of violating bylaws. Cheryl Tuck-Smith/Facebook
A few weeks later, in mid-September, Levang and Tuck-Smith received a letter from the organization’s Director of Standards informing them that they were being considered for dismissal for allegedly violating the group’s policies, according to documents provided by the IWF.
Both Levang and Tuck-Smith are accused of using a personal KKG email list and contact information to solicit other members to donate and provide updates to the Wyoming suit.
The two women were also said to have spoken as KKG sisters to some media without the permission of the national office, which violated the Speaking for Sisterhood Policy, the Standard Director explained in the correspondence.
Artemis Langford joined Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Wyoming last year.Facebook
The former brothers’ outspoken support of the Wyoming plaintiff’s claims that Langford was a sexual predator who had no right to be in the organization was deemed a disregard for KKG’s Human Dignity Policy, the director added.
“We have become aware of several instances… where you have spoken to the media about ongoing litigation in a manner detrimental to the organization and perpetuated harmful stereotypes and false information without seeking approval from Kappa Kappa Gamma Headquarters,” the Standard Director wrote. to both women.
Levang and Tuck-Smith responded with a lengthy defense of their conduct.
The lawsuit was dismissed in August on the grounds that the organization’s bylaws did not include a definition of “woman.” Instagram / @baileyy.jayne
In a letter dated October 24, Tuck-Smith called the accusations against him “nonsense” and said it “undercuts the purpose of the law that prohibits discrimination to exist.”
The call for disciplinary action also allegedly ignores the “purpose and intent” of his behavior, Levang said in his own letter, which claimed that he was speaking “to support and protect members who have been told that they are not welcome in the Brotherhood unless they disobey the principles of the principle upon which the Fraternity was founded.”
Both women argued that Kappa Kappa Gamma’s conduct actually violated the organization’s historical principles, which promote education and leadership for women.
The national headquarters of Kappa Kappa Gamma expelled Levang and Tuck-Smith earlier this month.YouTube / Megyn Kelly
“Instead of debating this important issue, parties [Kappa Kappa Gamma] deviant leaders to vilify ‘discrimination’ and ‘transphobia’ to mitigate the Brotherhood’s willful violation of rules and their efforts to prioritize the needs and identities of biological men over the women established to support the Brotherhood,” Tuck-Smith claimed.
Levang and Tuck-Smith were notified of their final dismissals by email from the organization’s Executive Director on Nov. 1, records show.
In a brief note, the director said the group “regrets the necessity of this action.”
Kappa Kappa Gamma’s national office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on the decision.
“Kappa claims to value honesty and accept differences. But when it hears honesty, it doesn’t like it, Kappa destroys every organization and American value to silence these alumni,” said Senior Fellow at the Independent Women’s Law Center, May Mailman, who represented the plaintiff from the Wyoming case.
“Instead of punishing dedicated and caring sisters, Kappa leadership should revoke their own memberships, because they are the only ones violating the Kappa bylaws,” Mailman added.
Allison Coghan, a recent University of Wyoming graduate and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, told FOX & Friends First that the state office’s move to fire Levang and Tuck-Smith was “very disappointing.”
As of September of this year, Artemis Langford is still a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.Facebook / Kappa Kappa Gamma University of Wyoming
“This is retaliation against [biological] women, and it should be an organization for women,” Coghan said.
“So to hear that they don’t want to see these brave women stand up for us and support us, then, I mean, where do we go?” he complained.
“Where are women supposed to go if women’s organizations are not going to stand up for themselves?”
Mailman joined Coghan in the interview and shared that the Wyoming suit is now before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“The issue is that the Kappa bylaws protect women. It says that only women can be members,” insisted Mailman.
“So the big question for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is what is a woman? Do you know what a woman is? This is something we didn’t expect to be a very difficult legal brief to write,” he continued, implying that the group expected the court to narrowly define femininity along biological lines.
“But we hope the 10th Circuit understands the reality, has seen the women around them, can see someone, understands what it is.”
The firing of Levang and Tuck-Smith is the latest step in the controversial KKG saga, which has sparked a national conversation about transgender rights and discrimination.
As of September 2023, Langford will still be a member of the University of Wyoming chapter, he told MSNBC.
“I hope that even if there is one person out there who feels like their identity is being attacked, it’s okay to be who they are and it’s okay to be attacked for their identity,” he explained to the outlet of his court battle.
“The allegations against Ms. Langford should not make it into a legal filing. It’s nothing more than a cruel rumor that mirrors exactly the kind of rumors that have been used to vilify and dehumanize members of the LGBTQIA+ community for generations. And they are baseless,” added Langford’s attorney, Rachel Berkness, shortly after the judge’s decision was read.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
