Trans sorority member thanks ‘supportive sisters’ after legal challenge for removal failed
Artemis Langford told MSNBC she was looking forward to getting back to being a student. (Credit: MSNBC)
A trans woman who had her sorority admission legally contested by fellow members has described the dismissal of the case as a “great relief.”
In March, six members of the Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) sorority at the University of Wyoming filed a lawsuit in an attempt to remove Artemis Langford from their chapter. Their case was dismissed on 25 August by US district court judge Alan Johnson.
Langford has now spoken out, confirming that she intends to remain a member of the sorority.
“I am very glad to have such great supportive sisters in my chapter”, she told MSNBC. “As a sorority, Kappa, to me, demonstrates so much about very wonderful values from loyalty to courage to trailblazing, and such very smart people that I’m so glad to have on my side.
“It’s a very difficult experience because no one was expecting to be there. Now it’s been a great relief that perhaps it can finally be over.”
Speaking to journalist Yasmin Vossoughian, who described her as a very brave and unique person, Langford went on: “I’m certainly not the first trans person to be attacked by elements of the media and unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be the last, but I want people to know that it’s never OK for that kind of scrutiny on a person just because of their identity.
‘Grateful to get back to being a student’
“I hope that even if there’s one person out there who feels their identity is being attacked, that it’s OK to be who they are. Every day they can be themselves is a good day for us all.”
Langford said she grateful that she could get back to just being a student.
“I’m grateful for everyone’s support, this has been a hard time. I hope this helps other students who are LGBTQ+ avoid the kind of scrutiny I’ve been under and we can be who we are,” she told the Casper Star Tribune.
The lawsuit alleged that the all-female sorority had bypassed its own charter in allowing Langford to enter the group. The six plaintiffs requested damages from the national sorority and her removal, as well as making certain allegations about her.
Initially seeking to bring the lawsuit anonymously, they later appeared on right-wing media outlets including Fox News.
Judge Johnson ruled that the organisation’s sisters could not force the “private, voluntary” sorority to use the definition they wanted of “woman”, which would exclude transgender women, when deciding who to admit, or who to expel.
“The University of Wyoming chapter voted to admit – and, more broadly, a sorority of hundreds of thousands approved – Langford,” Johnson wrote in a ruling. “With its inquiry beginning and ending there, the court will not define ‘woman’ today.”
Johnson suggested that the sisters would need to take their case to their sorority if they wanted to remove Langford, concluding that they had failed to prove allegations against her.
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