August 29, 2023 |
Photo – Artemis Langford – Courtesy Linkedin
A houseful of sorority sisters at the University of Wyoming will be forced to accommodate a 6’2, 275-pound trans-identified male after the federal District Court rejected a suit brought by six of the female members.
Women from Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) sued the national leadership of their sorority after expressing discomfort with the presence of Artemis Langford.
Despite testimony from the women, some of whom stated that a sexually aroused Langford had “watched” them undress, Judge Alan Johnson dismissed the case of Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity on August 25. Johnson stated that re-defining “woman” to include males was “Kappa Kappa Gamma’s bedrock right as a private, voluntary organization — and one this Court may not invade.”
While the KKG bylaws state that “a new member shall be a woman,” Judge Johnson found that no bylaw defined “woman.”
The federal judge also cited a 2018 Guide for Supporting our LGBTQIA+ Members which states: “Kappa Kappa Gamma is a single-gender organization comprised of women and individuals who identify as women whose governing documents do not discriminate in membership selection except by requiring good scholarship and ethical character.”
Langford was admitted to KKG last September following the results of a vote, enabled by the language put forward in the sorority’s “inclusivity” guide. However, not all of the women were pleased with the decision, with some alleging that they had felt pressured into accepting him against their will.
Last year, one sorority member stated that the women were initially promised anonymity in the voting process, on to be required to identify themselves on the online ballot form. This resulted in women feeling “intimidated” with voicing their concerns about a male entering the sorority. The UW student said about Langford then, “He’s just calling himself a girl.”
