Transgender Bill Defeated in Committee

PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - In a 5-2 vote on Monday, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted to kill a bill that aimed to ban gender-change treatments for youth under 16.

The ACLU of South Dakota is commending the decision to kill House Bill 1057. The ACLU of South Dakota strongly opposed the bill calling it unconstitutional.

“Though supporters claimed House Bill 1057 was aimed at protecting vulnerable youth, it was clearly fueled by fear and misunderstanding of transgender South Dakotans,” said Libby Skarin, policy director for the ACLU of South Dakota. “It’s time we stop these attacks and the very real harm they cause to transgender youth across our state. Let this be a signal to the South Dakota Legislature that discrimination against a marginalized group is a distraction from the needs of the state and hurts us all.”

According to the ACLU of South Dakota companies and organizations like Sanford Health, the South Dakota Chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the South Dakota Pharmacists Association, the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the South Dakota State Medical Association, the South Dakota Retailers Association, the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, LEAD South Dakota and the Human Rights Campaign also all opposed House Bill 1057.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Fred Deutsch (R, Florence), who represents District 4.