Judge Refuses to Define ‘Woman,’ Dismisses Lawsuit by Sorority Sisters Who Sought to Block Man from Joining

A judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by six University of Wyoming Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters seeking to block a trans-identifying male from joining.

The sorority sisters will now be forced to accommodate Artemis Langford (whose given name is Dallin), a 6’2″, 260-pound man who believes he is a woman. Wyoming U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson, after hearing allegations of sexual deviancy on Langford’s part, ultimately dismissed the case on Friday and stated that redefining “woman” to include males was “Kappa Kappa Gamma’s bedrock right as a private, voluntary organization — and one this Court may not invade.” Johnson notably used Langford’s preferred she/her pronouns in his decision and repeatedly referred to Langford as a “transgender woman.”

“The University of Wyoming chapter voted to admit — and, more broadly, a sorority of hundreds of thousands approved — Langford. With its inquiry beginning and ending there, the Court will not define ‘woman’ today,” Johnson wrote.

“The delegate of a private, voluntary organization interpreted ‘woman,’ otherwise undefined in the nonprofit’s bylaws, expansively; this Judge may not invade Kappa Kappa Gamma’s freedom of expressive association and inject the circumscribed definition Plaintiffs urge,” he added.

A 6'2 trans-identified male will remain at a sorority in Wyoming after a court dismissed a suit brought by 6 of its female members.

The women said Artemis Langford had been "watching" them undress in the sorority house, sometimes while erect.https://t.co/k4yJsIbQCD

— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) August 28, 2023

Judge Johnson pointed out that while sorority bylaws state that ” a new member shall be a woman,” no bylaw actually defines what a woman is. He also cited the 2018 Guide for Supporting our LGBTQIA+ Members which states: 

Kappa Kappa Gamma is a single-gender organization comprised of women and individuals who identify as women whose governing documents do not discriminate in membership selection except by requiring good scholarship and ethical character.

The sorority admitted Langford in September 2022 after a vote, granting him access to the sorority house which accommodates up to 50 women — although he has not been living at the house, Reduxx noted.

Seven sorority sisters initially filed the lawsuit against Kappa Kappa Gamma leadership in March, although one woman removed herself from the lawsuit after the women were told their names would not be shielded. The lawsuit claimed that the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority’s national council president and Langford pressured the University of Wyoming chapter to violate the official bylaws of the sorority.

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Sarah Clark / POLITICALLY+ /TMX

The lawsuit also claims that Langford, who is allegedly sexually attracted to women, once stared at the women in the house without talking for hours, including one incident wherein he silently watched a woman coming out of the shower.

“One sorority member walked down the hall to take a shower, wearing only a towel. She felt an unsettling presence, turned, and saw [Langford] watching her silently,” the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit also alleges that Langford became physically aroused in another incident.

“[Langford] has, while watching members enter the sorority house, had an erection visible through his leggings,” the suit states. “Other times, he has had a pillow in his lap.”

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According to the complaint, he has been accused of making inappropriate comments, and once allegedly sat in the back of a sorority yoga class for an hour in December 2022 “and watched the assembled young women flex their bodies.” Langford has denied the allegations.

“So some girls live in constant fear in their home, and our home is supposed to be a safe space,” one of the sorority sisters said on the Megyn Kelly podcast. “It is seriously an only female space. It is so different than living in the dorms, for instance, where men and women can commingle on the floors. That is not the case in a sorority house. We share just a couple of main bathrooms on the upstairs floor.”

Another sorority sister said that one of the members feels particularly distressed after having been “sexually assaulted or sexually harassed.”

We have the BEST Legislative Intern! We were able to keep Democrats across the state informed and engaged this session in large part due to Artemis's hard work. Thank you, @ArtemisLangford!!! pic.twitter.com/oPtUZhOOGF

— Wyoming Democrats (@WyoDems) March 6, 2023

Langford’s attorney, Rachel Berkness, celebrated the case’s dismissal in a statement to the Associated Press.

“The allegations against Ms. Langford should never have made it into a legal filing. They are nothing more than cruel rumors that mirror exactly the type of rumors used to vilify and dehumanize members of the LGBTQIA+ community for generations. And they are baseless,” Berkness said in an email, adding that the women’s portrayal of Langford as a “sexual predator” is “nothing more than a drunken rumor.” 

Cassie Craven, an attorney for the sorority sisters, told the outlet they disagree with the ruling and noted that the fundamental issue of defining what a woman is remains undecided.

“Women have a biological reality that deserves to be protected and recognized and we will continue to fight for that right just as women suffragists for decades have been told that their bodies, opinions, and safety doesn’t matter,” Craven wrote.

The case is Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma, No. 23-cv-51 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming.