Transgender Membership Lawsuit Dismissed : A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority members at the University of Wyoming. They wanted to remove the membership of transgender student Artemis Langford. The judge said the university and club didn’t break any rules by letting Langford join. Langford was accused of “peeping” and not appearing feminine enough in the March case. Despite the statements, the court upheld the sorority’s decision to admit Langford, stating it was not their role to resolve the issue.
The judge stated that the University of Wyoming chapter and a large sorority approved Langford. The Court won’t define “woman” today. The judge added that since “woman” was undefined in the sorority’s rules, the court couldn’t restrict their right to associate and express themselves. The ruling stated that the plaintiffs’ claims were dismissed without prejudice as they failed to sufficiently allege their derivative, breach of contract, tortious interference, and direct claims.
The sorority filed a motion to dismiss the case in June. Their move stated, “The main question is: Do the plaintiffs have a legal right to be in a sorority that excludes transgender women?” No, they don’t. It also stated that the plaintiffs were mistaken in requesting the court to use an “exclusionary definition” of womanhood solely based on biological birth.
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Seven Kappa Kappa Gamma members filed a case, claiming Langford violated university rules by joining as a non-female member without making efforts to appear feminine. They said Langford hadn’t undergone hormone treatment or surgery and sometimes had visible facial hair. In other court papers, Langford was accused of “peeping on them during intimate moments.”
Artemis Langford identifies as a transgender woman. “Langford doesn’t do much to appear feminine, except occasionally wearing women’s clothes,” the claimants stated in their lawsuit. But the court said these things were irrelevant to her group membership.
When Langford joined Kappa Kappa Gamma in 2022, it was significant. She was the first transgender student at the University of Wyoming to join a sorority.
If dismissed, the lawsuit could impact Greek life and college campuses nationwide as they address inclusion and diversity issues.The court’s decision on the lawsuit could impact how universities and private groups treat transgender individuals.