Ousted members sue 150-year-old sorority as male-to-female Arizona lawyer Tracy Nadzieja eyes becoming its first trans president

Deposed Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) members are suing the fraternity for allowing trans women into its 150-year-old body and for fast-tracking male-born Tracy Nadzieja to become the first trans president.

The lawsuit accuses KKG leaders of repeatedly violating their own rules by welcoming trans women, as well as fraudulent activity, defamation, and violating Ohio’s contract and free speech laws.

It refers to Nadzieja, a trans lawyer from Arizona who is in the running to become the next president of the KKG, and Artemis Langford, a trans student who was allowed to live among sororities at the University of Wyoming.

The student association did not respond to DailyMail.com’s requests for comment.

The Wyoming chapter sparked controversy last year when a trans student moved into the all-female dorm

May Mailman, legal director of the Independent Women’s Network (IWN), which is supporting the case, said KKG has silenced critics, broken its own rules and eroded the “fundamental freedoms women deserve.”

“The Kappa leadership continues to disrespect its members, not only by denying them the homosexual organization they were promised, but by lashing out in hopes of silencing the truth,” Mailman said.

Whether trans women — who were born male — should be allowed access to women-only clubs and spaces, including bathrooms, sports teams and prisons, is a hot topic in America’s culture wars.

Campaigners say trans women should be treated with respect, just like other women. Critics say their presence puts biological women at risk of harm, eroding the safe spaces women have created for generations.

The lawsuit is led by Patsy Levang and Cheryl Tuck-Smith, who were expelled from the KKG after serving with the fraternity for more than 50 years. Susan Jennings, Margo Knorr, Karen Pope and Ann Witt are co-plaintiffs.

They are seeking a jury trial, damages, legal fees and an order removing the current members of the group’s “Fraternity Council,” whom they blame for leading efforts to admit trans women.

They point to documents from the KKG’s founding in 1870, which state that the group was for “women” – a rule that was not questioned until the mid-2010s.

KKG admitted a ‘male candidate’ in early 2021, who is not named in the court papers. DailyMail.com was able to confirm it was Nadzieja by speaking to people involved in the case.

Patsy Levang (pictured) and Cheryl Tuck-Smith were expelled after allegedly raising money for the fraternity’s lawsuit challenging the admission of a transgender woman

Cheryl Tuck-Smith (pictured) and Levang have worked at Kappa Kappa Gamma for more than 50 years

The prominent LGBTQ+ campaigner from Arizona was then “fast-tracked into an KKG leadership position” and has a chance to join the council or become president in an online vote in April, it is claimed.

That’s despite the fact that Nadzieja doesn’t have the years of experience “consistently required of other long-serving female members,” court documents say.

Councilors “deliberately” concealed Nadzieja’s biological gender from KKG members during a largely online process, and “most members still do not know that the candidate is male,” the papers show.

The 186-page lawsuit was filed this month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Levang and Tuck-Smith were removed from their KKG leadership roles in October 2023.

Tuck-Smith said it was ‘incomprehensible’ that the group was now ‘prioritising men over women’.

“Decades of experience have taught me the importance of preserving and protecting safe spaces for women, allowing us to develop skills in leadership, community involvement and fostering lifelong bonds,” said Tuck-Smith .

A judge last year dismissed a lawsuit filed by six student associations that challenged the admission of Artemis Langford (pictured), the school’s first transgender woman in the department.

At the heart of the lawsuit was the issue of defining a “woman,” as the sororities argued that because the KKG’s governing documents define it as a space exclusively for women, the organization violated its own rules by admitting a biological male to leave.

“Kappa must remain true to its existing mission of supporting and promoting women.”

They say the student association’s membership has almost halved since 2020 under its current leadership.

The lawsuit points to another KKG controversy, in which the Wyoming chapter allowed 21-year-old transfeminine student Langford to become a member and live in the fraternity house.

Six members of the 40-strong chapter disputed Langford’s admission by casting doubt on whether fraternity rules allowed for a transgender woman, saying her presence made them uncomfortable.

They alleged that Langford “while watching members enter the dorm, had an erection that was visible through his leggings.” Other times he has had a pillow on his lap.’

They also accused her of taking photos of them at a slumber party and making inappropriate comments to them.

A US court dismissed the case last year, saying the fraternity could choose its own definition of ‘woman’. An appeal has been lodged against that ruling.