(The Lion) — Members of the Sigma Kappa sorority at the University of Kansas have expressed concern about the admission of a biological man who is transgender into the sorority.
Sorority member Sarah Green, also the Kansas national committeewoman for College Republicans of America (CRA), expressed dismay that the “sorority is granting honorary membership to a 37-year-old transgender attorney, activist and former brother in the Sigma Phi Beta fraternity” in a post on X.
“What is going on and how did we get here?” she asked.
The newly admitted member, Stevie Tran, may also have a conflict of interest, as he is a practicing attorney at TA Strategies, an LGBTQ law firm contracted with Sigma Kappa, said Green, according to Turning Point USA.
Since Green joined Sigma Kappa in April 2023, she said, the sorority conducted a membership review, including a survey of 66,000 members about whether to amend its bylaws to admit transgender people.
“The national leadership also invited members to a listening session for anyone interested in speaking more about the subject. I was one of only three members who showed up. Each unanimously expressed discomfort in the idea of expanding membership to those who are not women,” said Green.
It was at this session that Green learned of the engagement of TA Strategies by Sigma Kappa.
The engagement could present Trans with an ethical dilemma, as an attorney who may have gained a material benefit from legal advice to a client.
After the survey was completed, Green said that Sigma Kappa leadership initially refused to release the results.
“However, leadership finally released the results of two of the 15+ questions about 6 months after the survey,” said Green.
The survey results, as shared by Green, show that only 29% of members thought the sorority should amend membership eligibility requirements to admit all “non-binary” persons regardless of sex at birth.
Rather than settle the matter, Green said that the sorority created a new committee to keep considering the topic.
It also created the category of “honorary membership,” under which Tran was admitted.
The attorney’s LinkedIn shows that Tran was previously Director of Expansion for Sigma Phi Beta National Fraternity from 2009 to 2011.
In 2018, Tran co-authored an article titled “Redefining Fraternity: Examining Title IX, the First Amendment & Private Fraternal Organizations,” which concluded that single-sex fraternal organizations are not exempt from Title IX.
In essence, Tran and the co-author argued that under Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, fraternal organizations must admit members regardless of sex.
But that argument is false, according to another law firm, Fraternal Law Partners.
“Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in the area of education, does not prohibit fraternities and sororities from maintaining a single-sex membership policy,” that firm noted, referring to a 2014 opinion issued under Obama’s assistant secretary for the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.
However, Tran, who is apparently still advising Sigma Kappa, thinks Title IX legally forces sororities to admit men, advice most likely shared with the sorority.
Many current members are afraid to speak out against the idea.
“And, let’s be honest, while nearly every member I have spoken to is shocked at these efforts of ‘inclusion,’ most are fearful of stating so publicly or even within their chapter,” Green said. “They are afraid of stating their true opinions for fear of suspension or accusations of harassment.”
