Good Morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
My name is Angelica Mercado-Ford and I am here as a volunteer for Equality South Dakota. Today I am here for something so simple, but important.
With exigence, I ask that you carefully consider the South Dakota value of Equality. Today, is no exception to the many years that the rights of our trans community are at stake. It appears that once again, our trans friends, family members, community are all an exception to the very principles of equality and freedom that this country were founded on. But the truth is, that despite the many attempts to exclude, silence, and deny trans existence in our state, there are many of us who support, validate, and welcome our trans community. In fact, we celebrate all who call South Dakota home. Bills like House Bill 1076 offer no benefits to our state of South Dakota, and on the contrary, only cause harm.
The authors and sponsors of this bill appear to only look to intimidate individuals who simply seek to be their true selves. I am asking you to please end the narrative of hate in our state. All are welcome here. All are welcome to their rights and liberties, and that includes amending their birth certificates to match their true identities. We the people of South Dakota expect leaders to bring remedy and relief in times of crisis like the ones we are in today. Across our state, people are still suffering unimaginable losses, families are struggling to get back on their feet, once established businesses have vanished. What we need is support, and instead, here we are, debating a bill that seeks to otherize and erase individuals. We are tired of rallying against bills like House Bill 1076 every year. The people of South Dakota are grieving, and your only offering comes in the form of hate? Disunity? More to add to our list of negatives, as if a global pandemic did not suffice. I invite you to imagine my alternate vision: a South Dakota where we can dismantle the very things that oppress our own people.
Things like discrimination, systemic violence, and hatred, and instead focus on supporting one another, and making home, really feel like home, for all. So that at the end of the day, equality is not just another wish for the future.
This can begin today with your vote. It’s for these reasons that I urge you to vote no on House Bill 1076.
Thank you for your time.