Overview
- Oral arguments were held Monday at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver on an appeal by University of Wyoming Kappa Kappa Gamma members who sued after the 2022 admission of a transgender woman.
- The plaintiffs say the sorority’s national counsel issued a 2015 position expanding the term “women” and then implemented that change without the required notice and majority vote, which they say breached their membership contract.
- Kappa Kappa Gamma’s lawyers argue the counsel is authorized to interpret and apply the bylaws and that the steps taken comport with Ohio nonprofit law and the organization’s rules.
- The three-judge panel signaled it may accept that the counsel has interpretive authority but repeatedly questioned the timeline and adequacy of notice to chapters and members, and a decision is pending.
- Plaintiffs held a post-hearing press conference with allied groups to highlight privacy and safety claims and to argue that the ruling could affect how single-sex organizations govern membership nationwide.