Kappa Kappa Gamma Sisters Sue After Sorority Allows Trans Woman to Join

Six women suing the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma for allowing a transgender sister to join its University of Wyoming chapter have responded to the sorority’s assertion that the lawsuit was frivolous.

In a response filed Wednesday, Jaylyn Westenbroek, Hannah Holtmeier, Allison Coghan, Grace Choate, Madeline Ramar, and Megan Kosar criticized Artemis Langford, the first transgender member of Kappa Kappa Gamma’s Wyoming chapter.

“It is unclear why — when a large man pushes his way into an all-female space — the women who object are the bullies,” attorneys for the six, Cassie Craven and John Knepper, contend in one of several filings, Cowboy State Daily reports.

These women “are labeled attention-seeking liars, an old playbook from our history when women call out the men who force themselves upon them and their privacy. But the times have changed. Women no longer must be silent victims to men who attempt to play by their own set of rules,” they wrote.

On June 20, Langford and the sorority asked Wyoming’s U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson to dismiss the suit, calling it frivolous and criticizing its bad faith effort.

The court lacks jurisdiction over the organization's president Mary Pat Rooney, the sorority can adjust admission criteria according to the evolving understanding of gender, and the plaintiffs did not consult enough with the leadership before filing, the defendants claim.

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The sisters' lawsuit, Langford claims, is not only long and confusing, but it doesn’t have a rational reason for naming the sister.

On Wednesday, the women suing asked the judge to allow all parties to remain in their lawsuit. The plaintiffs rejected Langford’s arguments, saying the lawsuit should include her name since the outcome could affect Langford’s membership.

They are not seeking monetary damages from Langford.

More than 145 Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters can accept transgender women since 2015. According to the Kappa Kappa Gamma filing, its policy is similar to that of 25 other sororities in the National Panhellenic Conference, an umbrella organization for sororities across the U.S. and Canada, the Associated Press reports.

Those opposed to Langford’s induction could change the policy if most sorority members shared their perspective, or they could resign if “a position of inclusion is too offensive to their personal values,” a prior motion to dismiss by the sorority read.

The June 20 court filing by Langford accuses the women of spewing “dehumanizing mud” and attacking transgender people. Aside from that, the inductee claims the complaint is too long and complicated for the court to handle, according to Cowboy State Daily.

The plaintiffs concede that the complaint is long, but they argue that the information they provide is pertinent and methodical.

“Respectfully, Langford’s argument seems to reflect anger at the allegations made about his conduct, not ambiguity about the claims made by Plaintiffs,” the women state in their filing while misgendering Langford.

In response to a judge’s ruling that the case cannot be handled anonymously, one of the seven Kappa Kappa Gamma members who were originally suing dropped out of the case.

(Editor's note: This article has changed to clarify that 145 chapters can accept transgender women as sisters since 2015.)