Case Dismissed Against Sorority’s Inclusion of Transgender Members

On Friday, US District Judge Alan B. Johnson dismissed the lawsuit filed by a former University of Wyoming student against a sorority that permits biological men to join. The ruling emphasized that female students hold the authority to define “women” in their own terms.

This marks a second dismissal after Johnson found no bias in the process that allowed the University of Wyoming chapter to affirm its inclusion policy in 2022.

In his written decision, Johnson noted that the organization’s documents clearly express a definition of gender that goes beyond biological sex. He stated that the rules do not necessitate a narrow definition of “female” and highlighted that even dictionaries cited in the lawsuit support a broader interpretation.

Johnson remarked, “Our female students allowed biological men to participate. We are appealing for women’s rights,” suggesting that the matter is not as straightforward as it seems.

He also dismissed the interpretation of the term “woman” as cited by a former student in relation to a presidential order from Donald Trump. Johnson admitted he did not fully grasp this definition, mentioning his lack of biological training. Furthermore, he stressed that such a definition pertains to interpretations of federal law and does not influence private agreements, such as those within the sorority.

According to Johnson, the court could not intervene unless the organization breached its bylaws or engaged in fraudulent activity. “The bottom line is, we need to leave our kappa alone,” he concluded.

This dismissal means the plaintiffs cannot bring the same claim to Johnson’s court again, although they still have the option to appeal.

A spokesperson for the University of Wyoming clarified that the university itself did not play a role in decisions about the sorority’s membership and did not participate in the lawsuit. Johnson had previously dismissed a similar case in 2023, emphasizing that the chapter hadn’t sufficiently defined “woman.” He reiterated that the court’s role is not to define what a woman is.

The former student’s original complaint alleged that the member in question did not embody a woman’s appearance and had behaved inappropriately in close quarters with members. The claim included specific, concerning incidents aimed at illustrating discomfort among the sorority members.