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.

House Bill 1080 is a devastating and dangerous violation of the rights and privacy of transgender South Dakotans, their families and their medical providers.

House Bill 1080 would allow the government to intervene in private medical decisions, prohibiting doctors from providing life-saving gender-affirming health care to transgender South Dakotans.

Medical decisions belong to trans youth, their parents and their doctors – not the government – and it is unconstitutional to single out one group of people and categorically ban all care.

Medical professionals, not politicians, should decide what medical care is in the best interest of a patient.

This bill would take away private health care choices around the provision of medical care consistent with prevailing medical and scientific standards. Such choices should be made between a doctor and a patient, not politicians.

Today members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a strong message that all students — no matter their gender identity — should be treated with dignity and respect in South Dakota schools.

Senate Bill 46 and House Bill 1005 reinforce the incorrect notion that transgender students are not entitled to the same dignity and respect as all students.

The ACLU of South Dakota opposes House Bill 1005. By singling out transgender youth like this, House Bill 1005 violates federal and constitutional law.