WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Independent Women celebrates the Department of Education for its investigation into the University of Wyoming after a male was allowed to join the Gamma Omicron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. This is in direct contradiction to the longstanding principles of single-sex sorority membership and the expectations of safety, privacy, and solidarity that female college students rely upon in such spaces.
Independent Women represents the Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters at the center of the investigation who launched a lawsuit in 2023 against Kappa Kappa Gamma—Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma.
For more than 150 years, women have sought the college campus sorority experience to grow in leadership, friendship, and confidence without the constant presence of men. The young women at the University of Wyoming in Kappa Kappa Gamma have been deprived of the sisterhood promised to them.
Allie Coghan, Jaylyn Westenbroek, Hannah Holtmeier, and Maddie Ramar, all plaintiffs in Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma and sorority ambassadors for Independent Women, have discussed the pressure they faced and reported feeling unsafe, violated, and silenced after expressing discomfort with the male individual accessing their sorority residence, including bathrooms, showers, and sleeping quarters. These spaces were promised to them as protected environments—crucial for women navigating the challenges of college life. Instead, what they encountered was an erosion of their rights, dignity, and peace of mind.
With the help of Independent Women, the University of Wyoming sorority sisters have been standing up for sisterhood and to keep sororities female ever since. Their advocacy footprint has expanded reaching sorority women nationwide.
Learn more about the fight to Save Sisterhood at SaveOurSisterhood.com and more about the lawsuit at iwf.org/westenbroek-v-kappa-kappa-gamma
Beth Parlato, senior legal advisor for Independent Women’s Law Center, said: “We support the Department of Education’s decision to open an investigation into the University of Wyoming. It is essential that all institutions of higher learning uphold transparency and ensure their policies align with federal law, particularly as they relate to Title IX and student rights. Women deserve single-sex spaces where their privacy and safety are respected, and universities must be held accountable when those protections are compromised. This investigation is a necessary step to ensure that federal policies meant to protect women are being properly enforced and not undermined in the name of political ideology.”
Jaylyn Westenbroek, Independent Women sorority ambassador, Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiff, and University of Wyoming alumna, said: “Every girl has a right to feel safe and protected in women’s only spaces without questioning if a male can join. A man joined my sorority in Wyoming of all places, which goes to show that this can happen anywhere if not stopped. I want every little girl and woman out there to know that there are people all over the country fighting this fight and that there are more people in support of protecting women than not so it’s ok to stand up and speak out.”
Allie Coghan, Independent Women sorority ambassador, Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiff, and University of Wyoming alumna, said: “President Trump has made it clear since his first day back in office, that there is a lot of work to be done in our country. He has wasted no time in making the changes that we so desperately needed. After a three-year-long battle with our sorority, the news of an investigation into University of Wyoming is music to my and my sorority sisters’ ears. I am incredibly grateful that this administration will shed light on everything that has happened to me and my sisters. How lucky are we to have a president and administration that actually cares about women and girls. This will set a precedent for our country and will protect future women. Sororities have historically always been for women, we will continue to fight until women’s rights are restored.”
Hannah Holtmeier, Independent Women sorority ambassador and Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiff, said: “The Trump administration has taken monumental steps to protect women in the U.S. and this is one more step in that direction. We have waited almost 3 years for someone to step in and change how universities handle Greek life recruitment. I can’t wait to see what the Dept. of Education learns about these corrupt college campus leaders!”
Maddie Ramar, Independent Women sorority ambassador, Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiff, and University of Wyoming senior, said: “This situation has raised troubling questions about potential violations of Title IX and whether our rights as women were disregarded in favor of ideological conformity. I’m grateful that this matter will receive a thorough and fair investigation. What we experienced represents, in our view, a failure to protect the privacy, dignity, and freedom of expression of female students who raised legitimate, sex-based concerns about the admission of a male into our sorority. Our stand is not about exclusion—it is about upholding the principles that safeguard women’s spaces, voices, and rights. We hope this case will bring clarity, accountability, and justice not only for us, but for all college sorority women going forward.”
University of Wyoming plaintiffs in Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma knew they had to unite together after a male student joined their sorority.
Background:
Independent Women has been actively involved in advocating for the preservation of single-sex spaces for women, through its Stand With Women model legislation, now law in 16 states, and its campaign efforts to preserve women-only spaces for women—including sports, prisons, and sororities. Independent Women has supported sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma, both active and alumnae members who have challenged the sorority’s recent policy changes.
In clear violation of Kappa’s bylaws and the promise it has made to generations of female members since its founding in 1870, in fall 2022, the University of Wyoming chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was forced to admit (through a pressure campaign orchestrated by Kappa headquarters) a male member. After months of being threatened with discipline for voicing their concerns, several brave Kappa sisters sought to preserve the experience of sisterhood by filing suit.
By refusing to abide by the “woman” only membership in its own bylaws, Kappa Kappa Gamma has denied women the single-sex sisterhood they were once promised.
Independent Women represents the plaintiffs in the case, Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma. The case was argued on appeal one year ago by Independent Women’s Law Center. The Tenth Circuit dodged ruling in the case. The panel ruled it lacked appellate jurisdiction to hear the case, thus avoiding the obvious, that Kappa Kappa Gamma’s directors in bad faith breached their fiduciary duties in forcing the Wyoming chapter to initiate a male. Amazingly, the Kappa attorney, Natalie M. McLaughlin, argued that “women” is “unquestionably not defined and has multiple definitions.” But America—and certainly President Trump—has since shown that they know what the word “woman” means.
These legal actions have garnered widespread support from feminist organizations and over 450 Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae, highlighting a collective effort to preserve the integrity of single-sex sororities.
The Kappa sisters have spurred a growing movement of sorority women urging the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) and the leadership of all sororities to keep sorories female. The executive leaders of NPC and each national sorority have already received over 2,800 personalized letters from sorority women across the country. Independent Women hopes the campaign will draw tens of thousands more sorority women to join the movement to stand up for sisterhood and send personalized letters through the campaign to demand change ahead of sorority conventions this summer.
To speak with the University of Wyoming Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiffs, direct all media inquiries to [email protected].
###
Independent Women advances policies that actually preserve and enhance opportunity and well-being.
