PIERRE, S.D. — A South Dakota House committee has approved a proposal from Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to ban transgender women and girls from competing in school sports leagues that match their gender identity.
All 11 Republicans on the House State Affairs voted in favor of the bill.
The governor has cast it as “protecting fairness in women’s sports.”
But advocates for transgender people decried the proposal as bullying that would deprive them of an opportunity to compete and belong to a team.
Furthermore, Wade Pogany, Associate Director with the Associated School Boards of South Dakota, says that school boards say the current policy and process works.
Pogany has concerns with the federal law in place and how this legislation will violate that if adopted. There’s a concern that federal funds could be lost.
Roger Tellinghuisen with the Human Rights Campaign says this bill will violate Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. There are cases pending right now to determine whether this violates Title IX, he says.
Jett Jonelis with the ACLU says it is an “unconstitutional attack on transgender girls.” If passed, Jonelis says the bill would violate the Equal Protections Clause.
South Dakota could be the 10th Republican-controlled state to adopt such a ban on transgender women or girls.
