A United States District Court judge rejected seven Wyoming sorority members’ lawsuit, alleging that the organization Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) unjustly changed the group’s tradition and policy to admit a male who identifies as a transgender female.
Last year, KKG at the University of Wyoming admitted a male member to its traditionally female-only organization and did so by changing the group’s policy to reflect liberal-approved, circular newspeak — a woman is anyone who says that they are a woman. Artemis Langford, a biological man who identifies as a transgender woman who, at the time of his admittance to KKG, was 21 years old, 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and weighed 260 pounds.
Seven women who were members of KKG filed a lawsuit, alleging that members of the Corporation’s Fraternity Council (KKG’s Board of Directors) “unilaterally concluded a man can become a Kappa member if he claims to have the subjective belief that he is a woman.” The lawsuit defines a woman as “an adult human female.”
The suit also claims that the chapter unjustly changed the voting process, removing members’ anonymity, and ability to vote against Langford’s induction in private, without fear of judgement from other members who were more supportive of his choices. The lawsuit also stated that Langford’s 1.9 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in the fall of 2022 does not meet the chapters’ required 2.7 GPA minimum for sorority applicants.
The lawsuit also alleged that Langford was “sexually interested in women,” and provided his Tinder profile as evidence to the claim, which confirmed the statement, and noted that he has “not undergone treatments to create a more feminine appearance.” The women recounted several instances in the lawsuit in which they felt Langford acted inappropriately, making them feel unsafe or harassed.
“[Langford] has, while watching members enter the sorority house, had an erection visible through his leggings,” the lawsuit claimed. “Other times, he has had a pillow in his lap.”
Plaintiffs also claimed that Langford “repeatedly questioned the women about what vaginas look like, breast cup size, whether women were considering breast reductions and birth control.”
As litigation proceeded, the judge presiding over the case, Alan Johnson, ordered the plaintiffs to drop their anonymity if the wished to proceed with their lawsuit — six out of the seven women complied.
Judge Johnson’s ruling refers to Langford throughout the decision using female pronouns, and subsequently stated, “The Court will not define ‘woman’ today.” The Court dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims, asserting that they failed to demonstrate any breach of contract on behalf of the sorority by admitting a male member.
“A federal court cannot interfere with the sorority chapter’s freedom of association by ruling against its vote to induct the transgender woman last year,” the AP concluded.
Rachel Berkness, Langford’s attorney, told the outlet, “The allegations against Ms. Langford should never have made it into a legal filing. They are nothing more than cruel rumors that mirror exactly the type of rumors used to vilify and dehumanize members of the LGBTQIA+ community for generations. And they are baseless.”
It seems apparent that the sorority sisters were seeking a court-approved definition of the word “woman” that would block males from entering female-only spaces, protecting biological women from harassment in the future.
