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 and a parade.
This year, we’ve seen an aggressive assault on LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people across the country. Nearly 500 anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ bills were proposed in state legislatures in 2023 alone. Here in South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem signed a law banning gender-affirming health care for any transgender person under 18. Given these challenges, Pride is also a time for people to recommit themselves to the long struggle for equality.
The ACLU works year round to protect and promote the rights of LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people. Our goal is to ensure that everyone can live openly without discrimination and enjoy equal rights, bodily autonomy and freedom of expression and association. We have a long history of defending the LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit community, with historic wins around marriage rights at the U.S. Supreme Court and in states around the country.
As you cover Sioux Falls Pride on Saturday, Samantha Chapman, the ACLU of South Dakota’s advocacy manager, is available to comment during Sioux Falls Pride (or ahead of Pride, if you’re doing a preview story). Please contact communications director Janna Farley at jfarley@aclu.org to schedule an interview.
About the ACLU of South Dakota
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of South Dakota is part of a three-state chapter that also includes North Dakota and Wyoming. The team in South Dakota is supported by staff in those states.
The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBTQ communities. The ACLU of South Dakota carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for the people of South Dakota.
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