A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by sorority sisters at the University of Wyoming to challenge the induction of a transgender student whom they alleged had made members feel unsafe and uncomfortable.
At least six sisters of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority contested the admission of Artemis Langford, a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman, into their chapter, but Wyoming U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson declared he was unable to change how a private and voluntary organization defines a "woman," according to a report.
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The court was unable to intercede on the chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma's freedom of association and order Langford removed, Johnson said.
No definition of "woman" is held within the sorority's bylaws, and thus, the judge said he would be unable to impose the one sought by the plaintiffs, the report noted.
"With its inquiry beginning and ending there, the court will not define a 'woman' today," Johnson said.
When the sorority members first filed their suit in March, they accused the transgender student of actions that led to sisters feeling uneasy.
The transgender student remained in the common areas for hours and stared at the women without speaking, according to the lawsuit.
"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 read.
The transgender student, who did not live in Kappa Kappa Gamma's sorority house at the time of the filing, was also accused of not leaving a slumber party until two hours after the promised time and becoming "sexually aroused" while watching sorority sisters change clothes, according to the lawsuit.
"An adult human male does not become a woman just because he tells others that he has a female 'gender identity' and behaves in what he believes to be a stereotypically female manner," the suit read.
Rachel Berkness, who represents Langford, lauded Johnson's ruling and criticized the allegations against Langford.
"The allegations against Ms. Langford should never have made it into a legal filing," Berkness said. "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."
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Cassie Craven, the attorney for the sorority sisters, shared a different sentiment.
"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 said.