Sorority alumnae returned to federal court this Monday, seeking to revive their lawsuit against Kappa Kappa Gamma. They claim the national leadership of the sorority improperly permitted a chapter to admit a transgender woman.
Allie Coghan, one of the plaintiffs, expressed her wishes for a legal precedent that would safeguard single-sex private spaces and prevent national organizations from overriding local members’ agreements. Though she’s graduated, she feels strongly about this issue. “We were promised a sisterhood, and we were given a brother,” she said. “If Kappa wants to redefine the word woman to include men, that’s fine, but they need to follow the proper procedures and let members vote, which they did not do.”
The legal dispute actually began in 2022 when Artemis Langford, a transgender student, was allowed to join Kappa Kappa Gamma’s University of Wyoming chapter. Despite some members’ concerns, Langford was admitted. Coghan claims the chapter deviated from its usual voting procedures. Instead of the traditional recruitment app, the process required members to fill out identifiable Google Forms with their email addresses.
Coghan recalls members being pressured, with officers suggesting they would face accusations of being “transphobic” if they opposed the membership. She mentioned that attempts to reach the national leadership for clarification went unanswered, eventually leading her and several sisters to take legal action.
The original lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson, who sided with Kappa Kappa Gamma’s right as a private organization to set its own membership standards. However, the alumnae, with support from the Independent Women’s Law Center, appealed the decision, and the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard their arguments on Monday.
Reflecting on the surreal experience, Coghan noted that they were just trying to be sorority girls and move on with life — something she initially thought would take much longer. “I even asked the lawyer if I’d be married with kids before we got any resolution, and he just laughed,” she shared. Coincidentally, she just got married two weeks ago.
Coghan also described the environment in the house as toxic, saying it transformed into a “political war zone.” Although Langford did not reside in the house, she had around-the-clock access to the common areas, including a passage young women had to cross to get to the showers. “The entire dynamic changed. Girls had to walk past him on their way to shower without any privacy,” she recounted.
Even though Coghan has moved on, she feels a responsibility to advocate for the next generation. “I really don’t grasp how the feminist movement has gone from being pro-women to erasing women,” she said. She hopes the case will clarify that a woman is, quite simply, an adult human female, without room for interpretation.
Coghan and fellow plaintiff Hannah Holtmeier revealed their chapter president once told them that if they didn’t agree with the changes, they could simply drop out. “To hear that after having considered the sorority my home for so long was honestly shocking,” Holtmeier remarked.
Holtmeier echoed Coghan’s feelings about the living situation, sharing how some members acted as lookouts while others showered, making sure the path was clear. “It was indeed an unnerving experience, especially in such close quarters,” she stated.
The arguments presented in front of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court mark an important moment in the ongoing legal battle. The three-judge panel is currently deliberating whether to reverse the lower court’s dismissal and allow the lawsuit to proceed.
The plaintiffs assert that the national leadership cannot legally redefine core terms like “woman” without a formal vote or a bylaw amendment. The forthcoming ruling from the appeals court will be critical in determining the future of this lawsuit.
Kappa Kappa Gamma was contacted for comment, but no response was received immediately.
