Ignoring strong opposition from medical experts, parents, trans youth and advocates, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted to kill Senate Bill 216, legislation that would have given parents the authority to make medical decisions on behalf of their children with gender dysphoria.

Senate Bill 216 would allow doctors to provide puberty blockers or hormonal treatment – nonsurgical medical care consistent with prevailing medical and scientific standards – to trans kids only with parental consent.

It’s impossible to define lewd and lascivious in a way that isn’t hopelessly vague and subjective, and government officials cannot impose their personal moral values on others. We're thrilled that legislators on the House State Affairs Committee agreed.

The ACLU’s educational, organizing and lobbying efforts will be focused primarily on voting rights, free speech and expression, LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit equality, Indigenous sovereignty and justice, and bodily autonomy and abortion rights.

Trans people belong everywhere – including sports. But does that mean that trans people should be used in a game of political football?

The government has no place inserting themselves between families and their doctors, whether the issue is reproductive care or medically necessary care for transgender youth.

Sioux Falls will celebrate the culture and diversity of the LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit community at Pride on Saturday. There’s sure to be music, dancing and plenty of fun! But Pride is more than just a festival. It's also a time for people to recommit themselves to the long struggle for equality.

Ignoring the warnings of families, advocates, health care providers and transgender South Dakotans themselves, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed a law banning gender-affirming health care for any transgender person under 18.

The ACLU of South Dakota opposed House Bill 1116, which passed, and House Bill 1125, which was tabled. Both bills violate First Amendment protections and provoke a broader cultural suppression of LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people.