Author: Patsy Levang

This piece was written by Patsy Levang and Cheryl Tuck-Smith and originally appeared on Daily Caller.

We were kicked out of our sorority for noticing a man. 

No, not like that.

We’re senior citizens and longtime alumnae of Kappa Kappa Gamma. We noticed that a man was initiated into membership in Kappa’s Wyoming chapter despite the profound discomfort of the young women in the chapter, and we said something about it. For this great sin, Kappa would not permit us to stay. 

We will not be silenced.

We have been members of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority for more than 50 years. And in that time, this sisterhood that we hold dear has provided us with friendship, leadership training, and volunteer opportunities. We have given of our time, energy, and resources freely because we were loyal to the essence of what Kappa was: a women’s group whose lifetime membership supported each other and offered the unique, safe, even sacred experience of a female-only group. 

We believed in this promise so deeply that when we saw the Kappa chapter in Wyoming abandoning the essence of what made the sorority so unique and valuable to young women by admitting a male into their chapter, we felt the need to speak up.

This was not an abstract issue for us — this very chapter is where one of us lived, and where one of our daughters lived. We talked to the young women living there, and they shared our heartbreak and concern. As a result, in March 2023, six brave collegiates filed suit against Kappa national leadership. Kappa’s bylaws clearly limit membership to women, meaning Kappa cannot initiate a man without changing the bylaws — a process that requires two-thirds approval at a biennial convention. 

When we saw the bravery of these young women, we too felt it important to speak up. We felt that sharing the facts and speaking up for the truth was important, to the health of the organization at the very least. But also, we believe this type of discourse is important to a free society.

Apparently not. 

Kappa’s national leadership decided we should be punished for speaking out. As a result, in an unusual if not unprecedented move, they revoked our membership. Imagine that. Two senior citizen alumnae who decided to stand up for women are so dangerous that we must be formally silenced. The reprimand does not fit the crime. Indeed, there was no crime in the first place. 

But who cares about us, you ask? Well, this fight isn’t about us. It isn’t even about sororities. 

It is much greater than that. It is about the calculated attempt to redefine what a woman is, and effectively outlaw single-sex spaces and all the opportunities and security that they afford women. It is also about the destruction of anyone who dares challenge the woke agenda. Our punishment is a snapshot of what is happening to society as a whole. 

Women across the country are being told not to question individuals with male genitalia who claim womanhood and want access to our spaces. We’re being told that you will pay a price, and stand on an island, if you dare to speak up for women’s rights to boundaries and single-sex spaces. We’re being canceled for speaking the truth simply because those setting the agenda don’t want to hear it. But 2+2 really does equal 4. And women really do exist, as biologically distinct from men. 

Some may think we should bite our tongues. Be polite, ladies! And that’s often been our approach, as it is for so many women. But not anymore. We face losing what is rightfully ours when we select manners and hesitation over bravely standing for what is right. We can be compassionate and still say no. We must say no. 

We need more voices. All those who said Me Too, who marched, who gained a women’s Smithsonian museum, who stood for Title IX, and who fought for a place in the boardroom … where are you now? Together, we can protect our rights, but we all must all be brave together. Join with us to Save Women’s Spaces. 

Patsy Levang is a past Kappa Kappa Gamma National Foundation President. Cheryl Tuck-Smith is also a long-time member and active contributor of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Both women are members of Independent Women’s Network, and both — prior to their lifetime memberships being revoked — had been members of the sorority for over fifty years.

In my lifetime, I have had many roles — daughter, collegian, wife, mother, farmer, author, educator, entrepreneur, volunteer, director. Now, I unexpectedly — but proudly — add to the list “Women’s Rights Advocate.” I am appalled that women must now defend our sex yet again, and I will not be silent as women are asked to give away the very essence of our being.

Like every other mammal on the planet, humans enter this world as either a female with XX chromosomes or male as XY chromosomes. There are endless personalities that can inhabit these two sex-chromosome sequences, but at the foundation, we are all either a man or a woman. These distinctions have consequences. And while there are many advantages to being born female, there are also disadvantages: Men are typically physically faster and stronger, which leaves women more physically vulnerable. Women need and deserve protection and privacy.

Today, as society is increasingly forcing people to pretend that these basic physical differences do not exist and do not have meaningful consequences, we are jeopardizing women’s spaces and women’s core rights. Sadly, entities and leaders who are supposed to defend women are increasingly pushing women’s interests aside.

My beloved sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, has found itself in the middle of a fight that it has brought upon itself. Recently, young women at the University of Wyoming chapter were bullied by their leadership into accepting a man claiming to be a woman into their sisterhood. Leadership seemed to believe that if the college women refused to accept that a 6’2”, 240-pound person with male behavior and male physique somehow qualified as a “woman,” then they were in the wrong and needed to be “educated” and removed from the space.

In response, alumni and lifelong members from across the country have rallied to support the collegiate women, urging the leadership of the national organization to reconsider their stance. We’ve asked them to recognize what is going on and how it is a clear affront to the very concept of womanhood and the existence of sororities. Men claiming to identify as women are being granted access to women’s spaces and opportunities, effectively eroding the sanctity and very purpose of these places. It is not just happening in sororities but in women’s sports, women’s shelters, and even women’s prisons. And this is not happening to just my sorority — all women’s groups are being targeted, and many have simply withered from the pressure instead of standing up for our rights. Many organizations are, like Kappa Kappa Gamma is today, doubling down on their position.

Women are born and raised to value kindness and inclusion. These very traits are leading to dangerous situations. They don’t want to hurt the feelings of people or to fail to be “inclusive.” Yet by reworking our structures and systems to be kind to the one male-bodied person who wishes to be included in activities meant for women, we are being profoundly unkind — and unfair — to all the women. These sorority women have learned the hard lesson that this push for “inclusion” is threatening our basic rights to gather and support each other. These women are all being told to deny reality and their very legitimate concerns about the degradation of women’s safety and privacy. This is not about diversity. This is misogyny. We all must stand up and say “enough.”

Generations of women have been forced to fight battles for equality and fairness, and because of them, many rights for women are now accepted as the norm. We can now vote, pursue an education, and receive equal pay for our labors — women are thriving. We benefit from our protected women’s-only sports and spaces. We must not give these away.

It is essential for us to unite nationwide against this assault on women and the sanctity of women-only spaces. We must protect the progress made over the last century. Women’s equality and progress required the establishment of separate spaces exclusively for women — including in competitive sports. The current attempt to dismantle the rights and achievements of women can no longer be ignored. It is blatantly flaunted in front of the entire nation, demanding our immediate attention and action in support of women.

Let us come together to protect the integrity of women’s spaces and rights. We must uphold the principles upon which organizations such as the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority were founded, fostering a supportive environment where women can thrive and achieve excellence. By preserving the integrity of women’s spaces, we uphold the values of fairness, equality, and respect for all.

PATSY LEVANG is a member of Independent Women’s Network, a mom of two daughters, one of whom attended the University of Wyoming, and a former Kappa Foundation president.