Pierre, S.D. – South Dakota legislators today introduced SB 115, a bill that targets transgender students, forcing them into isolated spaces and preventing them from attending school on equal terms with their peers.
Libby Skarin, policy director for the ACLU of South Dakota, had the following response from Pierre:
“Transgender children are already some of the most vulnerable in our state, so it’s especially shameful that some South Dakota politicians are once again focused on singling them out for discrimination. SB 115 is nothing more than an attempt to stigmatize and expel transgender kids from public life and prevent them from going about their school days on equal terms with their peers. We simply cannot address privacy concerns by forcing transgender students into isolated spaces and sending the message they should be ashamed of who they are. All this bill does is send the message that it’s okay for their peers –and state politicians – to target and bully transgender children.
Last year South Dakotans showed up in overwhelmingly in support of transgender kids and Governor Daugaard made history by vetoing similar legislation. Evidence shows that bills that discriminate are costly and unpopular. The case challenging HB 2 in North Carolina, for example, has included over 20 experts, and will likely cost the state millions of dollars in costs and attorney’s fees. And by making schools less safe for transgender students, bills like these are ultimately harmful to our communities. South Dakota lawmakers must reject SB 115 and all attempts to codify discrimination.”
