Wyoming Senate pulls funding for DEI, gender studies from University of Wyoming, which includes programs for HS students



The Wyoming Senate declared diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to be a source of division and have decided to pull funding for such programs at the University of Wyoming. During their budget proposals, state Senate members also made similar decisions surrounding gender studies programs.

The University of Wyoming's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will lose $1.7 million after a 20-11 vote in the state Senate passed during biennial budget discussions, the Wyoming Herald reported. An amendment declared no state funds should support any similar initiatives at the school.

Republican State Senator Cheri Steinmetz proposed the budgetary change and emphasized that funding needed to be taken away from such programming.

Republican State Senator Charles Scott also supported the amendment and said that the DEI programs lead to a focus on division rather than fostering equality. He noted his experience at Harvard University taught him that such programs, which he said pushed ideological homogeneity, could cause a "rot" in Wyoming.

An 18-13 vote also reportedly passed an amendment that banned the university from putting any funding toward gender studies courses or programs. Steinmetz argued the programs were ideologically based, as opposed to educational.

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The university's DEI resources are numerous and varied in nature and include support for DACA recipients, for example. The school has mandated diversity-driven town halls and workshops, including a previously-promoted discussion on "Black Fatigue and being Committed Allies."

The institution offers a "Black 14 social justice summer" program for high school students, which showcases a black raised-fist, typically associated with communist racial identarian groups.

The "Black 14" refers to a group of black student-athletes from the 1969 University of Wyoming football team who were kicked off for allegedly "requesting to participate" in a protest for the Black Students' Alliance. The group allegedly broke a rule that stated scholarship players could not participate in demonstrations.

The summer program's curriculum includes studies in civil rights and social justice and the "exploration of diversity, equity and inclusion principles." A portion of the course is also spent teaching "Cultural Understanding, Humility & Intersectionality."

We stand as a campus united against racism, bigotry and any other cultural or social intolerance. Read messages from incoming #UWyo President Edward Seidel & Chief Diversity Officer Emily Monago: https://t.co/Ops75B9Ksb.\n\n#UWyoCoEd
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The school's chief diversity officer had a stated goal of "diversifying the faculty, staff, curriculum and programming" at the school to create an "inclusive campus environment." This included "diverse" recrutiment and retainment initiatives.

The office also stated that it wished to solidify the school's commitment to expanding a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment, which it claimed builds not only a better university, but a better "state, nation, and world."

Both the House and Senate of Wyoming will finalize their budgets for March 4, 2024.

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Sorority expels two sisters for opposing membership of biological male who identifies as trans woman



The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority has removed two half-century sisters from the organization for standing against the membership of a biological male.

The sorority's leadership council revoked last month the lifetime membership of Patsy Levang and Cheryl Tuck-Smith — two women who have been members for more than a half-century — for supporting a lawsuit against Kappa Kappa Gamma, according to the Independent Women’s Forum. That lawsuit — Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma —sought to remove Artemis Langford, a biological male who identifies as a women, from membership in the sorority's University of Wyoming chapter.

In September, sorority leadership accused Levang and Tuck-Smith of violating the sorority's policies. Both women responded by levying the same accusation. Ultimately, they were removed from the sorority effective Oct. 29, 2023.

The punitive action, however, failed to silence either woman.

"I was hurt when I was terminated as a member of KKG, but also disturbed that KKG has become a political tool rather than an organization that promotes women," Tuck-Smith reacted. "My dismissal simply spurs me on to educate others about the dangers of DEI, which in reality does not support diversity, equity and inclusion."

Levange, the former president of Kappa Kappa Gamma's national foundation, said, "My heart was saddened when the current six council members voted me out; however, I will not be quiet about the truth."

In a statement, the IWF accused Kappa Kappa Gamma leadership of failing to "protect single-sex spaces and women’s rights to privacy and safety as promised in Kappa’s governing documents, and has instead responded with retaliation, viewpoint discrimination, and cancel culture against its own members."

"Sororities were founded to provide a single-sex space for women, and Kappa Kappa Gamma’s board members cannot eliminate that promise by quietly redefining the word 'woman,'" the statement added.

A spokeswomen for Kappa Kappa Gamma told the Cowboy State Daily the sorority is not commenting on internal decisions.

In August, U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson dismissed the lawsuit seeking to remove Langford on grounds that Kappa Kappa Gamma's bylaws do not define what a "woman" is; Johnson, moreover, refused to offer his own definition. The sorority celebrated Johnson's decision.

The plaintiffs in the case, however, plan to file an appeal.

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College sorority accepts biological male who identifies as female after allegedly ignoring members' concerns



The Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at the University of Wyoming counts among its more notable sisters Democrat U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (New York), designer Kate Spade, Massachusetts' first female governor Jane Swift, and actress Ashley Judd.

And as of this year, a man.

What are the details?

Kappa Kappa Gamma is the first sorority in the history of the school to accept a biological male who identifies as female into its sisterhood, according to campus paper the Branding Iron. The local chapter, led by Jamie Neugebauer, allegedly arrived at the decision by majority vote.

Artemis Langford — the student headed into the sorority — told the paper, "I feel so glad to be in a place that I think not only shares my values, but to be in a sisterhood of awesome women that want to make history."

"They want to break the glass ceiling, trailblazing you know, and I certainly feel that as their first trans member, at least in the chapter in Wyoming history," Langford added.

The term "glass ceiling" was coined by Marilyn Loden in 1978, and referenced invisible barriers that obstructed biological women from pursuing and obtaining positions of authority.

Langford suggested that acceptance should not be based on what an applicant's "identity is or what their orientation is."

Concerns ignored?

The Cowboy State Daily, a local news outfit, reported having been inundated by messages from persons expressing concerns "about living situations and facilities usage in the sorority home," but noted "those people declined to be identified or comment publicly out of fear for social repercussions."

One KKG woman told the National Review that chapter leaders and other senior members had discounted concerns about accepting a man into the sisterhood. The source claimed that one KKG member said, "It's 2022. If you vote no, it better be for, like, literal issues with that new member or else it's homophobic."

Another senior member allegedly said, "If your only concerns are about her living in the house, you are thinking too far down the road."

KKG permits all sorority members to live in a chapter facility to "enhance the experience."

Of the 12 pledges required to spend the night together during initiation, 10 allegedly objected to sleeping in the same room as Langford.

The NR's anonymous source also indicated that Langford has "absolutely not" physically transitioned to female; that Langford is a "big guy" who has "made no efforts to physically look like a girl ... He's just calling himself a girl."

Langford told the Branding Iron that he understands where his detractors are coming from, "but at the end of the day I wish that they would see me as who I am."

Anything else?

In 2021, the sorority produced a "Guide for Supporting Out LGBTQI+ Members," which stated, "Kappa Kappa Gamma is a single-gender organization comprised of women and individuals who identify as women whose governing documents do not discriminate in membership selection except by requiring good scholarship and ethical character."

The guide detailed ways to "Be an Ally."

It recommended that individuals "not make or perpetuate assumptions about someone's Sexual orientation or Gender identity"; "Ask LGBTQIA+ ... individuals how you can support them"; "Understand your own culture, socialization, prejudices, and privileges"; and "Always refer to people by the names and pronouns they refer."

The guide, released by a formerly women's-only sorority, further demanded the use of "words that encompass all genders, sexual orientations and family units. For example, 'people of all genders' instead of 'women and men'; 'children' instead of 'boys and girls'; 'parents instead of 'mom and dad.'"

KKG revised its bylaws in 2022, embracing the National Panhellenic Council's 2020 policies concerning transgender individuals, which state a "woman is defined as an individual who consistently lives and self-identifies as a woman." Other sororities on campus have reportedly adopted this language as well.

This transmogrification of the language permits the sorority to assert that it is in keeping with the "single-gender nature of our organization ... essential to the mission and purpose of Kappa Kappa Gamma and its chapters and alumnae associations."

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Republican senator apologizes after affirming 'fundamental scientific truth' of biological sex



Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.) has caved to the outrage mob, issuing an apology after affirming the existence of "two sexes" as absolute scientific truth.

What is the background?

While speaking to graduates at the University of Wyoming commencement on Saturday, Lummis observed that truth itself is under attack in our postmodern world, including the "fundamental scientific truth" about biological sex.

"[This includes] our rights to freedom of speech, religion, property, assembly, and to keep and bear arms," Lummis said, adding, "Even fundamental scientific truths, such as the existence of two sexes — male and female — are subject to challenge these days."

The crowd of graduates immediately reacted with loud jeers and boos. Lummis tried to save face, but swiftly moved to a different topic when the raucous crowd did not subside.

Video: UW students boo Sen. Lummis for comment about "two sexes" www.youtube.com

What did the apology say?

The Wyoming senator apologized for making people feel "un-welcomed" and "disrespected" for affirming the truth about biological sex.

"My reference to the existence of two sexes was intended to highlight the times in which we find ourselves, times in which the metric of biological sex is under debate with potential implications for the shared Wyoming value of equality," she said in a statement, according to Oil City News.

"I share the fundamental belief that women and men are equal, but also acknowledge that there are biological differences and circumstances in which these differences need to be recognized," she continued. "That being said, it was never my intention to make anyone feel un-welcomed or disrespected, and for that I apologize. I have appreciated hearing from members of the University of Wyoming community on this issue, and I look forward to continuing this dialogue."

What did the university say?

The university also released a statement apologizing for Lummis' remarks.

Writing to university faculty and students, the statement claimed that Lummis' comment — that biological sex is a fundamental scientific truth — is "not the scientific truth."

"Regardless of biological sex, gender has a wide variety of expression. Research and lived experience continue to reveal more about the connection and interaction of gender presentation and identity," the statement added.

The statement also described Lummis' comments as "harmful" and "marginalizing," claiming they distracted from the accomplishments of graduates that the commencement ceremony was meant to celebrate.

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Sen. Cynthia Lummis booed, heckled at University of Wyoming graduation for stating that there are 'two sexes'



Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.) faced loud boos and jeering on Saturday after stating a basic scientific fact about biological sex during her commencement address at the University of Wyoming.

What are the details?

Lummis had been asked to speak to recent graduates and their families from several schools on campus, including the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education, as a part of the spring 2022 graduation ceremony.

According to KTWO, the first several minutes of the speech were well received, as the senator remarked on the importance of humility and hard work in the labor market and pressed the graduates to safeguard fundamental truths and constitutional rights against those who seek to alter or redefine them.

But things dramatically changed when she dared to mention the gender binary among those truths that are being attacked.

"[This includes] our rights to freedom of speech, religion, property, assembly, and to keep and bear arms," Lummis said, adding, "Even fundamental scientific truths, such as the existence of two sexes — male and female — are subject to challenge these days."

The latter statement immediately evoked scattered boos from those in attendance, and those boos eventually formed into a lengthy and deafening chorus of disapproval. Lummis was forced to temporarily pause her speech as she looked on in surprise at the audience's negative reaction.

"I'm not making a comment on the fact that there are people who transition between sexes," she added in an attempt to assuage the crowd, but even that didn't seem to work. Eventually, the senator moved on from the topic entirely.

University of Wyoming Undergraduate Ceremony - Spring 2022 youtu.be

What else?

Several commenters on Twitter piled on after the event, bashing Lummis for bringing up the apparently controversial subject during the ceremony.

One commenter who claimed to be present to watch her niece graduate noted that it wasn't only students who booed Lummis, but the "entire audience" joined in.

"It was the most inappropriate place and time for a political rally type speech," the commenter added, suggesting, "My niece said, 'I just wanted to be told I'm smart and good luck!'"

Another claimed that some in the audience began chanting, "Shame!" in response to the senator's comments.

Anything else?

Following the backlash, Lummis issued a statement clarifying her remarks and apologizing to anyone who felt "un-welcomed or disrespected."

"My reference to the existence of two sexes was intended to highlight the times in which we find ourselves, times in which the metric of biological sex is under debate with potential implications for the shared Wyoming value of equality," the statement read, according to Oil City News.

"I share the fundamental belief that women and men are equal, but also acknowledge that there are biological differences and circumstances in which these differences need to be recognized. That being said, it was never my intention to make anyone feel un-welcomed or disrespected, and for that I apologize," she said. "I have appreciated hearing from members of the University of Wyoming community on this issue, and I look forward to continuing this dialogue."