Kappa Kappa Gamma member says transgender membership policy undermines sorority sisterhood
A Kappa Kappa Gamma member at Florida State University says the sorority's transgender membership policy has left her questioning her decision to join the organization, arguing that it undermines the sense of sisterhood she expected to find.
"As soon as I heard about it, I was honestly ... disappointed," FSU student Alexis Richards told "The Riley Gaines Show."
"This is like the one thing where I feel this shouldn't be happening," she continued. "It's like the protected sisterhood, and I never would have expected it to be infiltrated by biological men."
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Plaintiff Hannah Holtmeier speaks outside the federal courthouse in Denver after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a lawsuit challenging Kappa Kappa Gamma's membership policies. (Independent Women)
Richards said learning about the controversy surrounding the sorority's membership policy made her consider what she would do if a similar situation unfolded at her own chapter.
"What if this happened to FSU? I don't want to be a part of that. I would be so uncomfortable, and I cannot imagine what those girls went through," she said.
Sorority alumnae returned to federal court last week, asking judges to revive their lawsuit against the organization after they alleged its national leadership improperly allowed a chapter to admit a biological male.
The legal fight stems from 2022, when transgender student Artemis Langford joined the University of Wyoming chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Plaintiff Allie Coghan told Fox News Digital that she hopes the appeal will establish a clear legal precedent that protects single-sex private spaces and keeps national organizations from overriding local member consent.
Richards said the issue has forced her to reconsider assumptions she had when she first joined.
"It definitely makes you rethink some of the joining a sorority," she said.
Plaintiff Allie Coghan stands outside the federal courthouse in Denver after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a lawsuit challenging Kappa Kappa Gamma's decision to admit a transgender woman to its University of Wyoming chapter. (Independent Women)
"I never expected this to happen, so what else could happen?"
The FSU student has since publicly challenged the organization over the issue, a decision she acknowledged was "a little nerve-racking."
Before speaking out, Richards said she sent her father her planned message and received a warning in response: "Buckle up."
"I was, like, 'I'm ready.' I feel like I need to say something because I just feel like if I didn't say anything, I would be doing like an injustice to myself, because I started speaking out more publicly about my views," she told Gaines.
"I was very involved with like Charlie Kirk and Turning Point, and I think after his assassination, that like woke up something inside of me where I'm like, 'I'm not going to sit back and hope someone else does it for me. I'm just going to do it myself,' and I think taking that first step is something that I genuinely am so proud of myself for doing because it's scary."
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Richards said the Kappa's admission of biological males is something she hopes "never happens again," adding that she hopes the issue can be contained now to prevent similar cases in the future.
When reached for comment by Fox News Digital last week, Kappa Kappa Gamma said, "On Monday, Kappa Kappa Gamma defended in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado, our right as a private organization to interpret Kappa Kappa Gamma’s bylaws."
The statement continued, "We will continue to vigorously defend against attempts by plaintiffs to use the judicial system to take away a private organization's fundamental right to govern itself and cause lasting damage to our organization. We are confident the appellate court will uphold the decisive Wyoming federal court ruling and bring a swift resolution to this matter."
Fox News Digital's Madison Colombo contributed to this report.
Taylor Penley is an associate editor for Fox News Digital and contributor to FOX Business and Fox Nation who covers media, culture and Flash
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