The ACLU of South Dakota's Communications Director would love to speak with you. Janna Farley handles queries from reporters on local, state, and national civil liberties issues. ACLU of South Dakota team members can provide information and assist journalists by lending important perspectives on issues such as LGBTQ advocacy, abortion rights, criminal justice reform, and more. Contact Janna directly at jfarley@aclu.org.
It doesn’t infringe on anyone’s rights to share spaces with those who are different. But by signing House Bill 1259 into law, Gov. Rhoden is putting vulnerable trans youth at risk for abuse and harassment.
Efforts to childproof the internet not only hurt everyone’s ability to access information, but also give the government too much leeway to go after speech it doesn’t like. We’re disappointed that our elected officials aren’t protecting our First Amendment rights.
It’ll be déjà vu all over again in the House State Affairs Committee tomorrow afternoon as lawmakers are scheduled to debate two discriminatory anti-transgender bills similar to legislation proposed and defeated in previous sessions.
This vote should serve as a reality check for South Dakota lawmakers who want to use public schools to religiously indoctrinate students. Public schools are not Sunday schools.
Making an honest mistake with someone’s name or pronouns will always happen, but instances of misgendering or calling someone by the wrong name cannot be immune from school discipline when they cause a substantial and material disruption or create a hostile educational environment.
By signing onto this amicus brief, South Dakota is sending a message of exclusion to children in our state directly impacted by Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship and to the many others who will have their citizenship questioned because of their race or who their parents are.