Not all is well in the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, one of the city’s longest-running and influential Democratic gay organizations. Only weeks after three new members were narrowly elected to the group’s leadership, current officials have called a meeting and may seek to invalidate the election’s results.

During the December 3 balloting, three challengers used an influx of new members to the organization—46 in all—to claim victory over President Lateefah Williams and two members of her slate; the winners, which were also newcomers to the group, won by small margins. The challengers won because under the group’s bylaws, anyone can pay dues and become a member the same day that an election is held for the group’s leaders.

The unexpected upset hasn’t sat well with some longtime members, who say that the new additions to the group and the officers they elected are carpetbaggers. In an op-ed published in the Washington Blade, longtime transgender rights activist Jeri Hughes accuses the three challengers of co-opting a group they had never been involved with:

Martin Garcia, Angela Peoples, and Vincent Villano — the individuals who won the election — state that they are active and involved in issues that are related to the LGBT community. That may very well be. The reality is I don’t know. My associates at the Stein Club don’t know. They are strangers. By their own admission, none had been Stein Club members for more than a week. None are representative of the population that has steadfastly and painstakingly participated in the process or progress that the Stein Club has endorsed and initiated within the District of Columbia.

For the winning challengers, though, they say that simply exercised their democratic rights in hopes of bringing new energy to a group that they say is falling out of touch with the city’s diverse LGBT community.

“We ran to grow D.C.’s LGBT advocacy work, and the Stein club was the clearest path to pushing our community’s interests,” said Villano, a 26-year-old communications professional who defeated club-backed Hassan Naveed for the post of the group’s vice president for administration.

“It’s an exciting time to be doing LGBT advocacy in DC, and there’s a lot of work to do like passing the LGBTQ Homeless Youth Reform Act, ending the rising violence against transgender women of color, and fundraising for and training the best LGBT candidates to run for local office. That work depends on a large and diverse membership, which the current Executive Committee seems keen on keeping out,” he added.

The debate is likely to escalate next week, though, when the group’s members gather in a special meeting where the “unusually large number of new members” will be discussed, specifically if they qualified for discounted special memberships.

According to a legal memorandum written for the outgoing leaders by Donald R. Dinan, general counsel to the D.C. Democratic State Committee, a preliminary reviews of the new memberships found some discrepancies that could invalidate their votes. But since the ballots were secret, the entire election could be null, forcing members to vote again.

Garcia, who could well be the group’s next president, said in a statement that he opposed the move, arguing that the new members he helped bring to the group could help broaden its appeal and influence.

“We are disappointed that the Stein leadership intends to challenge new members who want to contribute to Stein’s growth. Stein’s membership rolls nearly doubled because of our recruitment efforts, and that’s a good thing. These new members are young people, people of color, and people from low-income backgrounds who were otherwise not engaged in Stein’s activities. That’s beyond special, that’s incredible. We should be having a special meeting celebrating these new members, and finding ways to engage them,” he said.

Other members have expressed concern over checking on residency or income-status of new members, a step they say the group has never taken before.

The special meeting is scheduled to take place next Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Room 120 of the John A. Wilson Building.