We are thrilled to announce that Independent Women’s Forum and Independent Women's Law Center (IWLC) are supporting the lawsuit of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority women who were denied the all-female sisterhood they were promised. On Monday, the plaintiff sorority members in Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma filed a notice to appeal in the District of Wyoming, which moves the case to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson ruled that the plaintiff sorority members were not entitled to a women’s-only sorority, even though Kappa Kappa Gamma’s bylaws require a women’s only sorority, because the word “woman” is subject to interpretation. 🤔🤯
The Wyoming court's decision, finding that "woman" lacks meaning, is not only obviously wrong, but dangerous in terms of protecting women's rights in innumerable areas.
The fight is far from over!
Our own Independent Women’s Law Center attorney appealing the sorority case is May Mailman. She told the media yesterday that “Independent Women’s Law Center will always fight for women when those in power warp the English language to remove the same opportunities that have benefited women for decades. These young women deserve the promise of Kappa's bylaws just like all American women and girls deserve the privacy, camaraderie, safety, and fairness promised in female-only environments."
Will you please donate to stand up for sorority sisterhood and stop female erasure, unwinding decades of progress women have made towards equal opportunity and single-sex spaces?
Sororities were founded to provide a single-sex space for women, and Kappa Kappa Gamma’s board members cannot eliminate that promise simply by redefining the word. Our law center looks forward to presenting this case in the court of appeals.
As the Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters who were forced to give up their sorority experience said, “Our battle has only begun.”
“We are all very excited that IWLC has decided to support and join us in this fight to protect women’s spaces. With their support, we can continue to fight for the women that deserve respect in the present and in the future.”
Join the fight for these girls and every sorority member across the country!
