The ACLU of South Dakota commends the Senate State Affairs Committee for deferring House Bill 1108 to the 41st day.
The ACLU of South Dakota opposed House Bill 1108, legislation that would have banned instruction on gender dysphoria and would have codified discrimination against transgender youth.
“We’re thrilled with the committee’s decision kill this bill, sending a clear message of inclusion and acceptance for our transgender friends and neighbors,” said Libby Skarin, policy director for the ACLU of South Dakota. “No one is harmed by allowing teachers, administrators and counselors to create a safe and welcoming educational environment for transgender students in our public schools.
In addition to the ACLU of South Dakota, organizations like the School Administrators of South Dakota, the Human Rights Campaign, the Large School Group of South Dakota, Equality South Dakota, the South Dakota Education Association, the Associated School Boards of South Dakota, Leaders Engaged and Determined South Dakota and the National Social Workers Association, South Dakota Chapter opposed House Bill 1108.
About the ACLU of South Dakota
Decisions made during the annual sessions of the South Dakota Legislature have a deep and lasting impact on our state’s people and communities. As new laws are created and others repealed or written, it’s important to ensure that these changes preserve and strengthen our constitutional rights.
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota is a non-partisan organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. 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 LGBT 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 people of South Dakota.
For up-to-date information on the bills the ACLU of South Dakota is tracking, go to www.aclusd.org.
###
