Former alumnae Patsy Levang and Cheryl Tuck-Smith are suing the century-old sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) for accepting a man who identifies as a woman. In addition, they claim that the nonprofit organization's authorities fired them in October of last year "in retaliation for their efforts."
In 2022, the University of Wyoming branch of KKG accepted a trans man as one of its members. Six students then filed a lawsuit, which the Court dismissed last August. The member of the discord was identified as Artemis Langford, 21 years old.
Transgender ‘Sorority Girl’ poses for a photo as he cries after winning court bid to stay in all girls Sorority House- despite sexually harassing at least 7 girls.
A Wyoming judge will allow Artemis Langford to continue living in the female sorority house after a failed bid by… pic.twitter.com/wVFEdHg3js
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) October 15, 2023
MSNBC's Yasmin Vossoughian praised a transgender student, Artemis Langford, who is accused of making girls uncomfortable in a sorority, for being a 'brave woman.'https://t.co/LX4uL4W0Tb pic.twitter.com/rJmmbeJppL
— John R Lott Jr. (@JohnRLottJr) September 6, 2023
Artemis Langford, a trans woman whose sorority admission was contested by fellow members, speaks out after a judge dismissed the lawsuit:
"Even if there's one person out there who feels that their identity is being attacked... it's OK to be who they are." https://t.co/rXELtmn53p pic.twitter.com/bcHMH8hIlw
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 5, 2023
In the new lawsuit filed Wednesday, Levang, Tuck-Smith and four students claimed that KKG abandoned its mission to "unite women to learn, grow, and inspire positive change." According to them, the rules that govern the activity of the institution always target women. For example, its statutes say:
Any lady may become a candidate for membership who shall be of good moral character, and of above average talent; and who, at the time of proposal, either is or has been in attendance at some college or seminary.
Some of the organization's internal policies, they further argued, expressly prohibited the participation of men. For example:
Men shall not participate in any Kappa recruitment events, including the chapter’s Bid Day event(s), according to the National Panhellenic Conference Unanimous Agreements.
The plaintiffs also claim that the KKG leadership skipped other regulations to accelerate Langford's acceptance, such as the minimum grade required or confidentiality when voting for new members.
"As a result of the Fraternity’s misconduct, the Student was admitted and granted all the privileges of membership, including access to the private living areas and facilities that are restricted to women," they stated in the court filing. In the previous lawsuit, which the Justice dismissed, stating that it was based on rumors and that the rules did not define what a woman was, the members of the brotherhood had assured that Langford's presence in the house made them uncomfortable, and that they had even seen how he got excited while looking at some of them and that he had taken photos during a sleepover.
The plaintiffs are asking for at least $75,000 in financial compensation, in addition to the reinstatement of Levang and Tuck-Smith and the expulsion of all men from the organization.
Appeal
Also on Thursday, the Independent Women's Law Center (IWLC) filed its final brief as part of its appeal of federal Magistrate Alan Johnson's decision to dismiss the first lawsuit.
The IWLC asked the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to force KKG to abide by its own rules, which they say limit membership to women. "The problem is that Plaintiffs (and the members of Kappa) have never been asked what they want," reads the lawsuit, where the sorority leaders are accused of accusing their opponents of being transphobic and skipping the voting process necessary to change the regulations.
Kappa Kappa Gamma (Iwlc) by Santiago Adolfo Ospital on Scribd
