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Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity

Artemis Langford is a transgender woman whose acceptance into the University of Wyoming chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma garnered a lawsuit, Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity ultimately dismissed, to ban her from being a member.[1] She was the first openly transgender woman to join a Wyoming sorority, and six or seven sisters in the chapter sought to have her banned based on the definition of a woman, which a judge found not to be in the sorority's bylaws.[2][3]

The suit was originally filed without disclosing the sisters' names, but a ruling required them to refile under their names. Langford remained identified by a pseudonym that misgendered her.[4][1]

Langford was raised Mormon and diagnosed as autistic along her journey to eventually identify as transgender. She currently identifies as Episcopalian.[4][2] As of September 2023, Langford intends to remain part of the sorority.[5][6]

Some alumnae organizers and donors supported the chapter's lawsuit. It appears, however, that their actions were contrary to the policies of the national sorority's governing board, which later expelled two long-serving alumnae volunteers who had used the sorority's member database to solicit donations to help pay for the Wyoming lawsuit. These women had also been cited in media interviews.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Volokh, Eugene (April 11, 2023). "No Pseudonymity for Sorority Members Suing to Challenge Sorority's Admission of Transgender Student". Reason. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Mullen, Maggie (August 23, 2023). "This is Artemis Langford: UW's first transgender sorority sister speaks". WyoFile. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Gruver, Mead (August 28, 2023). "Judge dismisses lawsuit by sorority sisters who sought to block a transgender woman from joining". AP News. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Wan, William (October 14, 2023). "A trans woman joined a sorority. Then her new sisters turned on her". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Noyce, Eleanor (September 6, 2023). "Trans sorority member thanks 'supportive sisters' after failed legal challenge". PinkNews. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Vossoughian, Yasmin (September 3, 2023). "Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to block trans woman from joining Wyoming sorority". MSNBC. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Downey, Caroline (November 9, 2023). "Sorority Alumni Stripped of Membership after Defending Sisters Fighting Admission of Male Student". nationalreview.com. National Review. Retrieved November 9, 2023. KKG accused the women of violating a host of policies by using the organization's contact list to fundraise for the female students' legal defense and by disparaging the sorority's decision to admit a male student in various media interviews.
 

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