A Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority attorney is claiming that transgender Artemis Langford was allowed to join the University of Wyoming chapter because their bylaws did not define what a “woman” is.
Langford, a 6 ft., 2 in., 200 lb. biological male, joined the sorority in 2022. Six sorority sisters filed a lawsuit against the national organization over it claiming that he had leered at them while having an erection. The women felt unsafe around Langford and claimed in their lawsuit that he made them uncomfortable and should not have been allowed to join.
“But attorney for the national group, Natalie M McLaughlin, said that the word ‘woman’ is ‘undefined’ in the sorority’s bylaws and therefore did not preclude a transgender woman from joining,” the Daily Mail reported.
“The word ‘women’ is undefined in Kappa’s bylaws, and that term ‘women’ is not a term that has a singular definition,” the attorney asserted. “So the membership qualification in the bylaws remain the same, there has been no amendment to the bylaws which is that a member must be a woman. That qualification however is undefined in the bylaws.”
(Video Credit: CBS Colorado)
Since “woman” or “women” is undefined in the bylaws, a court will have to determine whether it is allowable to accept a transgender into the sorority. So far, the courts seem very hesitant to rule against the national sorority over the issue.
“McLaughlin was addressing federal appellate court judge Carolyn McHugh as part of a hearing to decide whether they could proceed with an appeal after the sisters’ case was dismissed by the U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson in Cheyenne last year,” the Daily Mail wrote.
“Johnson threw out the lawsuit last year, ruling he could not override how the private, voluntary organization defined a woman and order that she not belong,” the media outlet added.
The sisters are not giving up and have appealed the case in Denver, Colorado.
Insane is the perfect word. The entire point of a sorority is the promotion of “sisterhood”. The word comes from “soror”, meaning sister. And, yet, the attorney for @KappaKappaGamma claims she can’t even define what “woman” means.
Following this lawsuit, I feel deep… https://t.co/g111mhc2fC
— Carilyn Johnson (@CarilynJohnson) May 15, 2024
“The sorority sisters who sued said Langford’s presence in their sorority house made them uncomfortable – and alleged Langford ‘has, while watching members enter the sorority house, had an erection visible through his leggings. Other times, he has had a pillow in his lap,’” the Daily Mail recounted. “They also accused Langford of taking photos of them at a slumber party and to have made inappropriate comments to them.”
The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters, their attorney, and supporters held a “Save Sisterhood” rally at the courthouse before the hearing began for their proposed appeal.
“Attorneys for the six sorority sisters continue to argue that sorority leaders have ignored sorority bylaws that they contend shouldn’t allow transgender women to be members. Johnson’s ruling gave too much deference to sorority leaders in allowing them to define a woman under membership requirements, the sorority sisters argue on appeal. Unlike in the original lawsuit, Langford is not included in the appeal,” the Daily Mail said.
The three-judge court heard arguments from both sides without issuing a ruling. One judge voiced doubt on whether they should even hear the case.
Former college swimmer and women’s rights activist Riley Gaines was in attendance to watch the proceedings, according to Fox News.
Today is the day! In Denver for oral arguments with the UofWyoming girls who are suing their sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, for admitting a man into their sorority/sorority house.
Sororities are exclusively for WOMEN. Let’s gooooo!! pic.twitter.com/w7NMHKCKSx
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) May 14, 2024
“The sorority avoided an honest conversation,” attorney May Mailman countered on behalf of the sisters, according to Courthouse News.
“The court did not want to address what is a woman because they know what it is, so the court was trying to find small reasons to not hear this case,” Mailman charged, according to CBS News.
The defendants in the case are the national Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and its president, Mary Pat Rooney.
RALLY | Support of the 6 brave sorority women fighting to #SaveSisterhood!
Join us next Tuesday in Denver, CO at the Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma oral arguments for a demonstration in support of protecting women’s spaces. Learn more: @IWF https://t.co/OMm2a0knCQ pic.twitter.com/taW3RRIF3U
— IWN (@IWN) May 6, 2024
“In 2015 the Kappa Fraternity Council issued a position statement expanding membership to include ‘woman and individuals who identify as women.’ In the fall of 2022, this allowed the organization to admit its first transgender sorority sister, University of Wyoming student Artemis Langford,” Courthouse News explained.
“Jaylin Westenbroek and five others sued Kappa Kappa Gamma and its president claiming the leaders fixed the induction process to force them to accept Langford as a sister, while threatening to kick out anyone who opposed,” the media outlet further noted.
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Author: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton
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