Michigan fraternity sued over nonbinary and female members

[ASTalumna06]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/..._headlines_hed

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A fraternity at the University of Michigan is being sued by its national organization after accepting women as members.

A federal judge is holding a hearing Thursday about whether to ease an Oct. 23 order that bars Michigan Sigma Phi from using the national fraternity's name and Greek letters.

Since 2016, Michigan Sigma Phi has accepted dozens of members who aren't men or who are nonbinary, a gender identity that is not strictly male or female, said Stephanie Stoneback, a graduate who was president in 2017-18.

"It did feel sort of like we were pioneering something,” Stoneback told The Detroit News. “But honestly, it really just felt like I was joining a group of friends.”

Sigma Phi Society, the New York-based national organization, said membership decisions in Ann Arbor are harming the group and its trademarks, according to its lawsuit in federal court in Detroit.