Artemis Langford joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority during her sophomore year at the University of Wyoming (UW). She was the chapter’s first openly transgender sister. Not long after her induction, six other members of the chapter launched a federal lawsuit to force Langford’s removal, thrusting the transgender student into the national spotlight. The suit was dismissed, then refiled. Langford told Wyoming Public Radio’s Jeff Victor she still proudly calls herself a daughter of the state. But now that she’s graduated, Langford said she has to leave.
Editor's Note: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Artemis Langford: Unfortunately, the government doesn't want people like me to live in the state anymore; they don't want transgender people to live freely in this state. And we also don't want economic opportunities in the state. We want to do anything else. Both these factors, and also because of another situation in my life the last two years. I think [with] all three of those things, I think it's time for me to go.
JV: Let's dig into that a bit. Three years ago, as a sophomore, you joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. You were the first openly transgender student inducted into a UW sorority chapter. Before everything that followed, how did it feel to have that distinction?
AL: I was honored to make that distinction because I thought I was representing my sorority. But also, it wasn't fully unique in that way, since it was just, you know, a local thing. I wasn't making any history, since trans people across the country had joined Greek life way before I did.
JV: So in a way, you also just felt like a girl joining a sorority, not necessarily doing something historic?
AL: Yeah, I was just one of the gals.
JV: Did you receive a lot of support from sisters in your sorority when you joined?
AL: Oh, there was so much love and support from members of my chapter. I just met wonderful people in Greek life, and that really defied my expectations. But everyone that I met, they were just so kind, especially in the sororities. All the sisters there were just awesome people.
JV: Not everyone was so supportive. A few months later, a cohort of your sisters at Kappa filed a federal lawsuit trying to kick you out and get a ruling that trans women can't join sororities like yours nationwide. When people you know, sisters in your chapter, are declaring so loudly that they don't view you like you view yourself, does that change how you view yourself?
AL: Yeah, I mean, my entire existence has been politicized. If I listened to every single criticism or every single thing that they wanted, I wouldn't be able to get out of bed in the morning. There has been a lot of death threats. There's been a lot of hate. And there's been some dark — really dark — moments. It's hard not trying to give in to those because you want to be strong and you don't want to let those other people see the pain that they've caused. I mean, this lawsuit ruins my life because the internet doesn't die. It doesn't forget.
JV: We saw a lot of that heightened scrutiny that you're talking about in the lawsuit. It made a lot of allegations about your behavior, your motivations, your appearance. But those allegations were the thing that really took off. Some of these national outlets painted you as, frankly, a pervert. Like someone who faked being a woman to get close to other women in intimate spaces. One exchange between Megyn Kelly and Cassie Craven, one of the lawyers behind the federal lawsuit, demonstrates this:
Megyn Kelly: I think this is a guy who's just getting off on living with these beautiful women. That's how it sounds to me.
Cassie Craven: It could be. I’ve had a lot of friends tell me, ‘If I knew it was that easy to get into a sorority house, I would have put on a skirt a long time ago.’
JV: The segment we just played aired in May 2023, the same month you were taking finals at UW your sophomore year. How do you manage to study or to take exams or to de-stress when there's this other thing about you playing out in front of a national audience, piercing into your day?
AL: Every day I woke up feeling like, ‘Oh, why does my mouth taste bad?’ And then realizing like, ‘Oh, my heart is racing and my mouth tastes like cotton. Oh, I'm having a panic attack.’ Like I'm waking up with a panic attack, or some nights just having total insomnia. I think some of it has to do with just the grace of God helping me get through those finals — and being so like, ‘I have to pass. Like, I can't let these guys win by having me fail academically.’ I just had to push, push, push to succeed. And somehow I managed to get through it.
JV: You've brought your own lawsuit against Cassie Craven and fellow attorney John Knepper, arguing that they used the lawsuit and the media appearances that followed to make money through crowdfunding. Why do this? Why not walk away?
AL: I just need some justice for my name as my right as an American citizen. Otherwise, how else am I supposed to continue? And so I want some vindication that what happened to me was not acceptable, and that what was said about me was wrong. I don't want anyone else to suffer what I did.
JV: With all of this going on, simultaneously, Wyoming was also passing a wave of anti-trans legislation. Today, trans women and girls are banned from women's sports in high school and college. They're prohibited from using women's restrooms. School counselors have to tell parents if their children come out as trans at school, and transgender children and teenagers can no longer access gender-affirming care in the state. You have said you're moving out of state this summer. Do you think it's reasonable for other trans folks to stay and fight, or do you think, with the way things are, that trans folks should leave?
AL: It's a personal choice that each person has to make for themselves, because, once again, it's all about: How much of themselves are they willing to give? Constantly trying to advocate to legislators, begging, ‘Hey, please don't take our rights away.’ It's a terrible thing when you have to beg for your life over and over and over again. So I don't judge people when they decide to leave, but it's a risk when you do stay, because there is a closing window that's beginning to set. Because these legislators in Cheyenne, they're not going to stop with the bills that were passed earlier this year, and they're going to try even more destructive legislation.
JV: What would it take for you to feel comfortable coming back to Wyoming?
AL: Most importantly to me is just getting rid of these laws, like, just repealing them. I'm realistic. I'm not expecting them to pass pro-LGBTQ laws, like rights laws, anytime soon. I'm not asking the world of them, but I also want a place that I don't feel like I'm going to get killed or like a healthcare provider is going to refuse to treat me in an emergency room. So, I would just like to see those laws go away.
JV: Looking back on these eventful last few years, if you could go back, would you join a sorority again? Should other transgender students consider that path, or would you tell them to keep their heads down?
AL: I still think that there's immense value in Greek life, especially at the University of Wyoming. I joined for a reason. There's a sisterhood in sororities that you can't really find anywhere else in 21st-century young adult life anymore. And so even all things considered, I don't regret joining. And I would absolutely say people should continue if they want that.
