CHEYENNE, WY — Today, Independent Women ambassadors and Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiffs Hannah Holtmeier, Maddie Ramar, and Allie Coghan join Wyoming lawmakers as Stand with Women legislation is introduced as a priority for state House leadership. This comes amid momentum nationally to preserve single-sex spaces and following on the heels of the Westernbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma appeal to the Tenth Circuit in 2024, which showcased widespread support across the political spectrum for women’s rights to privacy, safety, and equal opportunity.
If passed by the legislature and signed into law, Wyoming’s Stand with Women legislation (WY HB 0032, WY HB 0060, and WY HB 0072) would:
- Define common sex-based terms like ‘male’ and ‘female;’
- Protect single-sex spaces and opportunities, including sports and locker rooms; and
- Require publicly collected sex-based vital statistics to accurately reflect biology.
Hannah Holtmeier, Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiff and Independent Women ambassador: “Standing with women should be the easiest thing for every elected official to do, and I am grateful for all the members standing here today to take action to define ‘woman’ and preserve our private spaces. Wyoming’s great state seal says’Equal Rights’ at the top, yet until sex-based words are defined in statute, Wyoming women will continue to lose out to men. I’m glad it’s getting fixed this year.”
Maddie Ramar, Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiff and Independent Women ambassador: “When a man lived in my sorority, I felt violated. And when a federal judge said nothing could be done because ‘woman’ is not defined, I felt despair. But today I feel hopeful because a coalition of state leaders are taking decisive action to right this wrong, define ‘woman’ and other sex-based words, and ensure generations that follow us will never lose their rights to privacy, equality, and safety.”
Allie Coghan, Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma plaintiff and Independent Women ambassador: “If November told us anything, it’s that the American people believe women are females and men are males. This isn’t controversial, it’s common sense, and that’s why the Stand with Women legislation introduced in Wyoming is timely and essential. We know too well how females lose their opportunities when courts can’t interpret basic words used in our laws. That’s why defining sex and protecting our spaces is a priority in Wyoming this year. Thank you to all the election officials for making it happen.”
Independent Women led the Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma case, bringing the women’s appeal to the Tenth Circuit, which received national attention and interest. 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, denied women the single-sex sisterhood they were 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.”
Other women’s organizations filed briefs with the Tenth Circuit to support IWLC’s position:
- Women’s Declaration International USA Amicus Brief
- Women’s Liberation Front Amicus Brief
- 450+ Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae Amicus Brief
View final brief in Westenbroek et al v. Kappa Kappa Gamma submitted by Independent Women’s Law Center here.
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