Current:Home > ScamsJudge dismisses lawsuit by sorority sisters who sought to block a transgender woman from joining-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Judge dismisses lawsuit by sorority sisters who sought to block a transgender woman from joining
View Date:2024-12-23 21:50:40
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit contesting a transgender woman’s admission into a sorority at the University of Wyoming, ruling that he could not override how the private, voluntary organization defined a woman and order that she not belong.
In the lawsuit, six members of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority chapter challenged Artemis Langford’s admission by casting doubt on whether sorority rules allowed a transgender woman. Wyoming U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson, in his ruling, found that sorority bylaws don’t define who’s a woman.
The case at Wyoming’s only four-year public university drew widespread attention as transgender people fight for more acceptance in schools, athletics, workplaces and elsewhere, while others push back.
A federal court cannot interfere with the sorority chapter’s freedom of association by ruling against its vote to induct the transgender woman last year, Johnson ruled Friday.
With no definition of a woman in sorority bylaws, Johnson ruled that he could not impose the six sisters’ definition of a woman in place of the sorority’s more expansive definition provided in court.
“With its inquiry beginning and ending there, the court will not define a ‘woman’ today,” Johnson wrote.
Langford’s attorney, Rachel Berkness, welcomed the ruling.
“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.
The sorority sisters who sued said Langford’s presence in their sorority house made them uncomfortable. But while the lawsuit portrayed Langford as a “sexual predator,” claims about her behavior turned out to be a “nothing more than a drunken rumor,” Berkness said.
An attorney for the sorority sisters, Cassie Craven, said by email they disagreed with the ruling and the fundamental issue — the definition of a woman — 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.
veryGood! (615)
Related
- 5-year-old boy who went missing while parent was napping is found dead near Oregon home, officials say
- Washington fans storms the field after getting revenge against No. 10 Michigan
- ‘Magical’ flotilla of hot air balloons take flight at international fiesta amid warm temperatures
- Maryland cancels debt for parole release, drug testing fees
- Ariana Grande Shares Dad's Emotional Reaction to Using His Last Name in Wicked Credits
- Please Stand Up for Eminem's Complete Family Tree—Including Daughter Hailie Jade's First Baby on the Way
- Bighorn sheep habitat to remain untouched as Vail agrees to new spot for workforce housing
- Aurora Culpo Shares Message on Dating in the Public Eye After Paul Bernon Breakup
- Get well, Pop. The Spurs are in great hands until your return
- Allan Lichtman shares his 2024 presidential election prediction | The Excerpt
Ranking
- Mississippi man charged with shooting 5 people after not being allowed into party
- Pennsylvania school boards up window openings that allowed views into its gender-neutral bathrooms
- A year into the Israel-Hamas war, students say a chill on free speech has reached college classrooms
- David Gilmour says 'absolutely not' for Pink Floyd reunion amid Roger Waters feud
- Shawn Mendes Confesses He and Camila Cabello Are No Longer the Closest
- NFL Week 5 bold predictions: Which players, teams will surprise the most?
- Anne Hathaway’s Reaction to The Princess Diaries 3 Announcement Proves Miracles Happen
- 1 dead after accident at Louisiana fertilizer plant
Recommendation
-
US overdose deaths are down, giving experts hope for an enduring decline
-
Katie Meyer's parents, Stanford at odds over missing evidence in wrongful death lawsuit
-
The Supreme Court opens its new term with election disputes in the air but not yet on the docket
-
Contractors hired to replace Newark’s lead pipes charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud
-
FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
-
Washington fans storms the field after getting revenge against No. 10 Michigan
-
NFLPA calls to move media interviews outside the locker room, calls practice 'outdated'
-
Anne Hathaway’s Reaction to The Princess Diaries 3 Announcement Proves Miracles Happen