The ACLU of South Dakota commends the House Health and Human Services Committee for deferring House Bill 1076 to the 41st day.
House Bill 1076 would have banned transgender people from obtaining birth certificates that accurately reflect their identity. Forcing transgender South Dakotans to go through life with inaccurate birth certificates – a basic form of identification and essential government document – would mean trans people would be forced to disclose their trans identity when seeking essential needs.
“Accurate birth certificates are essential. They are foundational to our ability to access a variety of benefits such as employment and housing and to navigate the world freely and safely,” said Jett Jonelis, ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager. “This bill was an attempt to erase trans identity and would have exposed transgender people to discrimination, harassment and violence. The committee’s motion to kill this bill sends a clear message of inclusion and acceptance for our transgender friends and neighbors and that there is no place for discrimination like this in South Dakota.”
About the ACLU of South Dakota
Based in Sioux Falls, the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of South Dakota is part of a three-state chapter that also includes North Dakota and Wyoming. The team in South Dakota is supported by staff in those states.
The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBTQ communities. The ACLU of South Dakota carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for the people of South Dakota.
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