When Tawanna Young attended her niece’s probate (induction) into a historically Black Greek sorority three years ago, she immediately thought, “I really wish I had the opportunity to do something like that.”
Tawanna’s phone was listening.
“Later that week, I saw a TikTok about an LGBTQ+ fraternity that was for masculine-presenting women and trans men, and I thought, ‘Maybe this is fate,’” the 37-year-old said.
For this Akron firefighter and lifelong Akron native, the opportunity was too good to not pursue.
As a Black masculine-presenting woman, Tawanna had not found a Greek Life organization during her undergraduate experience at the University of Akron where she felt like she could be her authentic self.
“You want that camaraderie and to have people understand you, but you just don’t see masculine-presenting women in these Divine 9 (historically Black) sororities, and you definitely don’t see women in the D9 fraternities,” Tawanna said. “So I was left yearning for that kind of relationship with people who are like me.”
She decided to do what so many adults do: pledge a Greek Life organization as an adult. This is a common practice for D9 organizations, which host Grad Chapters for professionals to join a sorority or fraternity to access the community, networking and development that they may not have experienced as an undergraduate student.
Tawanna pledged the TikTok-promoted fraternity in 2022 with a ton of hope.
“Unfortunately, [that fraternity] wasn’t doing the right thing [with their finances], so 11 of us left at the same time almost a month after we joined,” Tawanna said.
But the idea of being in an inclusive fraternity persisted.
“A group of us did our research and said, ‘Hey, we love what this represents and we wanna do it the right way,’” Tawanna said.
In 2023, they launched Kappa Beta Kappa Fraternity Inc., a national organization with the mission of giving its members an opportunity to “elevate, grow, and build not individually but collectively” while also making sure LGBTQ+ individuals are celebrated and supported.
Although Tawanna admits that choosing the letters Kappa Beta Kappa wasn’t that deep (“That combination of letters wasn’t taken and it sounded cool.”), their choice of mascot was as intentional and unique as it was offbeat.
A panda.
No other Greek organization has a panda as their mascot. But for Kappa Beta Kappa, it was a perfect choice.
“We are just like pandas,” Tawanna laughed. “We pride ourselves on diversity, we’re so laid back, and we just love everything about each other.”
With a little over two dozen members across the country, Kappa Beta Kappa is heavily involved in philanthropy, especially in Northeast Ohio. Over Thanksgiving, the fraternity partnered with local organizations Guys and Gals Community Partnership and the United Black Firefighters of Akron to help feed more than 40 families experiencing food insecurity.
“Yes, we are national and we travel to a lot of different areas, but we really are trying to make sure that we hit close to home here in Akron with our community service,” Tawanna said.
Enter: the Bees
As Tawanna was going through the process of starting a new fraternity, her wife Haley was ardently cheering her on. As Kappa Beta Kappa came together, Haley saw in Tawanna’s experience one that she wanted to have but that hadn’t been available to her at community college.
“I loved the camaraderie I saw and the family we all became and thought, ‘Maybe I’ll find a sorority to join,’” Haley, 32, said.
When wives of other Kappa Beta Kappas approached Haley and shared that they were thinking about starting an organization, Haley immediately said yes and asked when they wanted her to start pledging.
“They said, ‘No. We want you to be a founder with us,’” Haley laughed.
She quickly fell in love with the process of creating a sorority, and in 2024 Beta Xi Epsilon Sorority Sorority Inc. was launched to “create a sisterhood for women of all femininities” and to uphold the values of making positive impacts through community service, women’s empowerment and sisterhood.”
When it came time to select their mascot, the founders of Beta Xi Epsilon chose a much different animal than their Kappa Beta Kappa siblings.
A bee.
Haley said the bee fits the sorority’s personality, as some bees are about community-building and some can be aggressive and sting (“We have some people who are a little sassy.”). But above all else, the bees have their hive.
“Bees come together with the colony to create one big goal, and everyone in this sorority comes together to make things happen,” she said.
Beta Xi Epsilon is just as committed to service as Kappa Beta Kappa, co-hosting a game night in November for families at an Akron school that was so successful other schools have inquired about replicating the event. The sorority’s commitment to service was recently recognized with an appreciation award from the McQueen Foundation in honor of the their work to help feed those experiencing homelessness.
“I love being able to be with my organization and partner with other organizations to make a real difference,” Haley said. “That’s what this is all about.”
Family ties
Tawanna and Haley know that they use the word “family” a lot, but they can think of no better to describe their experiences with the organizations they helped create. They witnessed family firsthand when Haley was in the hospital with complications having the couple’s daughter.
“People [from our organizations] called us every day, sent food and some even drove from as far away as North Carolina to come see us,” Tawanna said. “That is true family, and we know in our LGBTQ+ community that it’s not just blood that makes a family.”
The couple also knows that Kappa Beta Kappa and Beta Xi Epsilon exist in a Greek-life landscape where LGBTQ+ individuals do not always feel welcome, and LGBTQ+ individuals of color can feel even less welcome. They hope their efforts can inspire other organizations by shining a light on the support that can be created when these doors are cracked open.
“We’re trying to make our organizations more known and maybe even show other organizations that you can still be prideful in what you do, but you can also join others and make a difference together instead of being divided as different fraternities and sororities,” Haley said.
And they want to be clear that their organizations are not solely open to Black members.
“If anybody wants to join, we will open them with open arms, baby!” Tawanna said.
As they are in the same household, they have found it naturally easier to identify opportunities for the Kappa Beta Kappa and Beta Xi Epsilon to collaborate and support each other. And it’s a household that also features their 2-year-old, who they know is intently watching what they have created.
“I want her to look at us, be proud and think, ‘These are my parents who have gone above and beyond to make a difference in this world’ and then she’ll want to do the same thing too,” Haley said.
“I know that some things may be difficult for her growing up having two biracial mothers, so I want her to look back say, ‘This is the legacy that they threw down on the ground, on sand, on pebbles, on whatever, and they built this up and I can do that, too,’” Tawanna said. 🔥
This piece was brought you with support from the Gay Community Endowment Fund of the Akron Communtiy Foundation.
IGNITE ACTION
- To learn more about the pandas of Kappa Beta Kappa Fraternity Inc., visit their website here.
- To learn more about the bees of Beta Xi Epsilon Sorority Inc., visit their website here.
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