South Dakota passes two “shameful” and “discriminatory” anti-trans bills
South Dakota lawmakers passed two anti-trans bills, making it the first state to get legislation of this kind to a governor’s desk in 2022.
The state’s House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 46 (SB 46) on 1 February, which in effect is a sports ban that will prevent trans students from taking part in teams that align with their gender identity.
SB 46 faced little opposition, as the Argus Leader reported it passed by 50 votes to 17. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem authored and submitted the bill to the legislature.
During the House State Affairs Committee’s debate on SB 46 towards the end of January, Noem’s Chief of Staff Mark Miller compared transgender children to terrorists. “By putting it in law, we are ensuring that what we’re seeing all over the country does not happen in South Dakota,” he stated. “It’s sort of like terrorism, you want to keep it over there, not let it get to here.” On the same day, lawmakers also passed House Bill 1005 (HB 1005) which essentially blocks young trans people from using facilities at school that align with their gender identity, including changing rooms, bathrooms and where they sleep on overnight trips.
