The student discussed in this story is a member of the Branding Iron staff but was not involved in the writing of this article.
Seven current and former members of the University of Wyoming Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority chapter have filed a lawsuit against the sisterhood. The move comes as a result of Artemis Langford, a transgender student, gaining acceptance into KKG in the fall of 2022.
The plaintiffs argue in their legal complaint, submitted to the U.S. District Court for Wyoming on Monday, that the Fraternity Council has undermined the sorority’s core purpose by comparing the experiences of women with those of transgender individuals.
Langford, who is the first transgender sorority member at UW, as well as a candid legislative intern for the Wyoming Democratic Party, has faced statewide and national backlash from several news outlets since her induction to the sorority.
Cowboy State Daily reported that, in 2018, members of the KKG council issued a memorandum that described how LGBTQ members could be better supported, and encouraged chapters to admit both biological women as well as people who identify as women.
Dr. Ryan Adler told Cowboy State Daily that, “this is kind of an issue that has a very good chance of winding up in the U.S. Supreme Court in a couple of years.” He added the case could potentially cause major implications that go far beyond UW. The lawsuit could inspire others like it around the nation.
The ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court case of America vs. Dale in 2000 allowed Boy Scout organizations to prevent gay men from being scoutmasters, which may become relevant in this case as some outlets continue to debate the validity of Langford’s experiences as a transgender woman in Wyoming.
Cowboy State Daily reported that this non-anonymous voting system compromised Langford’s induction, saying that some members may have voted against her admission to the chapter had their vote been private.
