Judge Dismisses Lawsuit To Remove Transgender Sister From Sorority

August 25, 2025 Abbie Thompson

After years of going back and forth in court, a judge put an end to a lawsuit over a transgender sorority sister at the University of Wyoming.

Featured Image Via Getty Images

Two years after a federal lawsuit started over the inclusion of a transgender sister at the University of Washington’s Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter, a judge has delivered the final ruling: sororities are free to define “women” however they wish.

“…the majority of the claims must be dismissed on the grounds that this Court still may not interfere with Kappa’s contractually valid interpretation of its own Bylaws,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson in the final ruling. “Nothing in the Bylaws or the Standing Rules requires Kappa to narrowly define the words “women” or “woman” to include only those individuals born with a certain set of reproductive organs…”

The original complaint was filed in the fall of 2022 after the sorority voted to initiate transgender student, Artemis Langford, as a member of the sorority. In March of 2023, seven then-current members filed a complaint seeking to remove the student, alleging that the Kappa Kappa Gamma national organization was in breach of contract and had violated its own bylaws.

The original case was dismissed, appealed, and ultimately rejected by the appeals court. With only two of the original seven plaintiffs remaining and one new plaintiff, the complaint was refiled with amendments in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming this June. Now alleging breaches of fiduciary duties, breach of contract, and fraudulent voting, the case still failed to convince the court of any wrongdoing.

The case states that Kappa’s bylaws and governing documents had included many broad definitions of “woman.” These documents included the Position Statements which state, “Kappa Kappa Gamma is a single-gender organization comprised of women and individuals who identify as women,” FAQs which state “woman is defined as an individual who consistently lives and self-identifies as a woman,” and a Guide for supporting LGBTQIA+ members that once again tied the definition of “woman” to gender instead of biological sex.

Judge Johnson ruled on August 22 to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be brought to court again.

When the case originally made headlines, trans student Langford was thrust into the national spotlight, becoming the subject of Fox News personality Megyn Kelly’s attention and subsequent right-wing backlash. Despite previously wishing to grow old in Wyoming, Langford recently left the state, citing legal stress and increasing amounts of anti-trans legislation. Langford is suing the lawyers of the sorority sister plaintiffs for damages.