IWF is ramping up the fight to preserve women’s spaces and save sisterhood.
Friend,
I know you care deeply about the fight to stand with women and that’s why I wanted to share an important update with you. We’ve had some exciting developments in the last few days coming out of Denver, Colorado.
Yesterday, Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiffs appeared before the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit presenting arguments in the landmark Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma ([link removed]) sorority lawsuit. The case, led by Independent Women’s Law Center, was heard by Judges Carolyn B. McHugh, Michael R. Murphy, and Richard E. N. Federico.
When we arrived at the courthouse with the plaintiffs, we were met by a large crowd of supporters cheering and holding signs that read, “Save Sisterhood,” “Sororities Are For Women,” and “KKG: Keep Your Promise To Women.” The energy was electric.
In the crowd were women from several sororities within the National Panhellenic Conference, including Kappa Kappa Gamma active and alumnae members and members of Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Phi Beta, Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, and Phi Mu.
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The lawsuit, filed after the University of Wyoming chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was forced to admit a male member, seeks to hold Kappa to its own bylaws, which state that a “new member shall be a woman.”
That was exactly the focus of arguments presented by Independent Women’s Law Center Director and plaintiffs’ lead counsel May Mailman — Kappa has breached its fiduciary duty to the sorority and its members and is in clear violation of its bylaws and the promise it has made to women for more than 150 years.
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This isn’t just a Kappa issue, this is a much larger issue spanning across all 26 sorority member organizations of the National Panhellenic Conference who are quietly changing their membership position statements to include membership to those who identify as women — reinterpreting their all-women bylaws.
What we heard from the attorney for Kappa was astounding. She said the word ‘woman’ is “unquestionably not defined and has multiple definitions,” and that Kappa has the duty to interpret the word ‘woman’ however they wish.
Shocking… take a listen for yourself:
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By refusing to abide by the women-only membership in its own bylaws, Kappa Kappa Gamma denied the female plaintiffs the sisterhood they were promised and, as IW’s Riley Gaines has said, gave them the brother they never wanted.
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The National Panhellenic Conference, which describes itself as “one of the world's largest organizations advocating for women and the trade association for 26 inter/national women’s-only sororities,” supposedly believing “in the continued value of women's-only sororities to empower collegiate and alumnae women and provide networks of support for them,” filed an amicus curiae brief in support of Kappa openly changing the nature of its membership.
Many of the supporters on the ground at the courthouse said this is wildly concerning and explicitly proves the NPC’s complete and utter abandonment of women.
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We will keep fighting to save sisterhood and won’t stop until we WIN. And we’ll keep you informed along the way.
Friend, join the voices of the plaintiffs, sorority members, and women’s advocates in calling upon the National Panhellenic Conference and national sorority headquarters and university chapters to reject efforts to disrupt women-only spaces and undermine sisterhood.
ACT NOW ([link removed])
Yours in the fight,
Victoria Coley
Vice President of Communications
Independent Women’s Forum
P.S. Interested in financially contributing to the ongoing legal battle? You can donate to Independent Women’s Law Center HERE ([link removed]) .
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