Speakers Include: Riley Gaines, May Mailman, Kara Dansky, Lauren Bone, Plaintiffs Taking on Kappa
RSVP TO PRESS@IWF.ORG
Westenbroek et al v. Kappa Kappa Gamma Oral Arguments
Demonstration and Press Conference in Support of the Brave Sorority Women Fighting To Save Sisterhood
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Byron White Courthouse
1823 Stout Street
Denver, CO
May 14, 2024
7:30 AM MT: Demonstration Begins
9:00 AM MT: Oral Arguments, Room 1
10:30 AM MT: Press Conference
DENVER, May 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, May 14, members of the media are invited to attend and cover the "Save Sisterhood" demonstration and press conference outside the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit surrounding oral arguments for the landmark Westenbroek et al v. Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority lawsuit, led by Independent Women's Law Center (IWLC). The six female plaintiffs in the case will join with supporters across the country including Kappa Kappa Gamma active and alumnae members, Riley Gaines, and a bipartisan group of women's advocacy organizations, including Independent Women's Forum (IWF), Women's Declaration International USA (WDI USA), Women's Liberation Front (WoLF), and Independent Women's Network (IWN), to voice their dedication to preventing the erasure or diminishment of women. These supporters span the political spectrum but unite in support of women and women's single-sex organizations, sisterhood, and sex-based rights.
The lawsuit challenges Kappa Kappa Gamma (Kappa) directors' breach of fiduciary duty to the sorority. In clear violation of Kappa's bylaws and the promise it has made to generations of female members, in fall 2022, the University of Wyoming chapter of Kappa was pressured to initiate a male. After months of being threatened with discipline for voicing their pain, six brave women sought to preserve the experience of sisterhood by filing suit. Westenbroek et al v. Kappa Kappa Gamma, now led by IWLC, seeks to hold Kappa to its own bylaws, which provide that "a new member shall be a woman."
In previewing the oral argument, May Mailman, Independent Women's Law Center Director and Lead Counsel in Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma, stated:
"Kappa's directors have a simple duty. They must respect the clear terms of Kappa's bylaws. They utterly failed to do so by ending the sorority's women-only membership and threatening existing members to accept the unlawful change or else lose their own membership. If this fight were about any other common term, the violation would be obvious. Gender ideology is not a reason to upend simple legal principles, and we look forward to making our case to the Tenth Circuit."
Other women's organizations filed briefs with the Tenth Circuit to support IWLC's position:
By refusing to clearly define the word "woman" as used in its own bylaws, Kappa Kappa Gamma leadership and the National Panhellenic Conference, which filed a brief in support of Kappa, have denied women the single-sex sisterhood they were once promised. The NPC brief describes NPC as "the premier advocacy and support organization for the advancement of the sorority experience" which serves as the "umbrella group for its 26 women's-only social sororities."
View final brief in Westenbroek et al v. Kappa Kappa Gamma submitted by Independent Women's Law Center here.
EVENT DETAILS:
SPEAKERS TO INCLUDE:
**Mult-box will be provided.**
**There will be media Q&A and opportunities for pull asides immediately following the press conference.**
Please direct all RSVPs and media inquiries to press@iwf.org.
Independent Women's Forum is dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren't just well intended, but actually enhance people's freedom, choices, and opportunities.
Independent Women's Law Center advocates for equal opportunity, individual liberty, and the continued legal relevance of biological sex.
SOURCE Independent Women's Forum