In a disheartening development at the University of Wyoming, two long-standing sorority alumni were expelled for their participation in a lawsuit aimed at removing a transgender member.
Patsy Levang and Cheryl Tuck-Smith, who have been affiliated with Kappa Kappa Gamma for over 50 years, were forced out of the organization for their support for a lawsuit intended to force the removal of transgender member Artemis Langford from the sorority.
Allie Coghan, another Kappa Kappa Gamma alumna and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, expressed her disappointment on “FOX & Friends First.”
“It was really disappointing to hear that they’re being dismissed because this is retaliation against women, and it’s supposed to be an organization meant for women,” Coghan said.
“So to hear that they didn’t want to see these brave women sticking up for us and supporting us, then, I mean, where are we supposed to go? Where are women supposed to go if a women’s organization isn’t going to stick up for itself?”
Coghan’s sentiment echoed the broader concern that women’s spaces are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
Patsy Levang, a former Kappa Kappa Gamma National Foundation president, voiced her sadness regarding the council’s decision to remove her from the organization. She affirmed her commitment to speaking out about what she perceives as the truth.
Cheryl Tuck-Smith, similarly disheartened by her expulsion. “My heart was saddened when the current six council members voted me out. However, I will not be quiet about the truth,” she said in a press release.
Tuck-Smith pledged to educate people about what she sees as the “dangers” associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative.
Kappa Kappa Gamma dodged the dismissal entirely. “We do not share information publicly about policy violations that may result in disciplinary action,” they said in a statement to “Fox & Friends.”
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The removal of these alumni is set against the backdrop of Kappa Kappa Gamma’s previous endorsement of a federal judge’s decision in Wyoming to dismiss a case questioning a sorority’s right to determine its membership.
“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,” the judge said.
The lawsuit, initiated by former members of the University of Wyoming’s Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, revolves around the inclusion of 21-year-old trans woman Artemis Langford.
Allegations within the suit, included Langford experiencing an apparent erection visible through their attire.
May Mailman, the lawyer representing Allie Coghan, emphasized that the case is currently before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and raises the fundamental question: what is a woman?
“There the issue is going to be Kappa’s bylaws protect women. It says that only women can be members,” Mailman said.
“So the big question for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is what is a woman? Do you know what a woman is?,” Mailman continued. “This is something that we don’t expect to be a very difficult legal brief to write. But we do hope that the 10th Circuit understands reality, has seen women around them, can spot one, understands what one is.”
Let’s hope reason reigns in this appeal or actual women will be erased in the sorority system.
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