LGBTQ issues

Governor Kristi Noem signs a bill into law that bans transgender women from playing in women's sports during the end of the 2022 legislative session. (Courtesy of Governor's Office)

Governors risk NCAA ramifications with opposition to transgender policy, scholar says

BY: - November 1, 2023

Governors criticizing an NCAA policy on transgender student athletes may put their universities at risk of “penalties or ramifications” if those institutions disobey the policy, according to a sports law scholar.  Joshua Lens is an assistant professor of recreation and sport management at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, who wrote an article on NCAA transgender […]

COMMENTARY
A protester displays a sign at the "Stop Criminalizing Trans Existence" protest in Sioux Falls on Feb. 1, 2020. The protest was in response to bills introduced during the 2020 legislative session. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Bans on abortion and gender-affirming care are attacks on liberty

BY: - June 7, 2023

Across the country, our bodies have become political battlegrounds. Politicians are passing extreme bans on abortion, restricting access to birth control and medication abortion, and keeping transgender people from accessing the care that they need. It’s happening here in South Dakota, too. This past year has been devastating for our right and ability to make […]

From left, Brookings Deputy Mayor Nick Wendell, North Dakota state Sen. Ryan Braunberger, D-Fargo, and Rep. Kameron Nelson, D-Sioux Falls, participate in a panel discussion on campaigning as members of the LGBTQ+ community on May 20, 2023, in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

LGBTQ+ candidate recruitment event draws dozens to downtown Sioux Falls

BY: - May 20, 2023

SIOUX FALLS — Being an LGBTQ+ lawmaker in a deep red state may feel like an uphill battle, but offering a presence and voice in statehouses “makes a big difference” behind the scenes. That was a key message at a candidate recruitment event in downtown Sioux Falls on Saturday organized by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit […]

The Board of Regents meets Dec. 8, 2022, at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Board approves ‘minors on campus’ policy following drag show controversy

BY: - May 9, 2023

The state Board of Regents unanimously approved a policy Tuesday responding to public concerns about minors attending a drag show on a college campus.  “We threaded the needle between state statute and First Amendment issues or potential challenges,” said board president Tim Rave. “This is a good first step with the framework in place.” Drag […]

The Board of Regents meets Dec. 8, 2022, at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Board reviews ‘minors on campus’ policy in response to drag show

BY: - March 30, 2023

The state Board of Regents reviewed a draft policy Thursday in Aberdeen responding to public concerns about minors attending a drag show on a college campus.  “I think we are at a good place here, but we expect some tweaks around the margins,” said Nathan Lukkes, the board’s chief of staff. “The policy essentially establishes […]

Rep. Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, on the House floor during the 2023 legislative session at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight)

Senate committee kills ‘lewd or lascivious’ drag show bill

BY: - February 28, 2023

A bill that would ban “lewd or lascivious” content at state institutions and public schools died in the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday morning. The bill, introduced by Rep. Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, previously passed the House with a 60-10 vote. It was amended in a House committee to allow the South Dakota Board of […]

Gov. Kristi Noem receives applause in the House chamber at the state Capitol in Pierre during her 2023 State of the State Address. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Noem signs transgender youth health care ban into law

BY: - February 13, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill into law Monday that would ban some forms of health care for transgender youth. HB 1080 is dubbed the “Help Not Harm” Bill by proponents. When it takes effect July 1, it will ban health care professionals who treat transgender children from prescribing drugs such as puberty blockers and […]

Samantha Chapman, of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, testifies in opposition to House Bill 1125 in the House State Affairs Committee on Feb. 13, 2023. (Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight)

Bills limiting drag shows: Committee passes one, tables another

BY: - February 13, 2023

PIERRE — The House State Affairs Committee tabled one bill that would limit drag performances in South Dakota but passed a related bill Monday morning. The first bill, HB 1125, would expand obscenity laws to include drag shows and prohibit exposing children to such performances. The bill was tabled after a failed motion to pass […]

The Senate floor in the South Dakota Capitol at Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Lawmakers send transgender youth health care ban to Noem’s desk

BY: - February 9, 2023

South Dakota legislators sent a bill to Gov. Kristi Noem’s desk Thursday that would ban some forms of health care for transgender youth.  Noem will now decide whether to sign the bill into law. She previously expressed support for the legislation.  Supporters said the bill would protect children and parents from making decisions they might […]

Rep. Bethany Soye, R-Sioux Falls, speaks on Jan. 17, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre about a bill she introduced to ban some forms of health care for transgender youth. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Transgender youth health care ban passes another committee

BY: - February 8, 2023

A bill that would ban some forms of health care for transgender youth passed the state Senate Health and Human Services committee 4-2 Wednesday at the Capitol in Pierre, after testimony similar to earlier hearings. Senators Sydney Davis, R-Burbank; Michael Diedrich, R-Rapid City; Al Novstrup, R-Aberdeen; and Erin Tobin, R-Winner, all voted to pass the […]

Rep. Bethany Soye, R-Sioux Falls, speaks on Jan. 17, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre about a bill she introduced to ban some forms of health care for transgender youth. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

New bill would ban several forms of transgender health care for youth

BY: - January 17, 2023

PIERRE – A group of South Dakota Republicans introduced a bill Tuesday that would prohibit physicians from providing some services to transgender youth. A Democratic legislator and the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota immediately condemned the bill, which the ACLU labeled as “discriminatory.” Rep. Bethany Soye, R-Sioux Falls, introduced the “Help Not Harm […]

Jack Fonder is the community health worker for The Transformation Project in Sioux Falls. He was hired in September 2022. (Courtesy of Jack Fonder)

Transgender employee at center of contract controversy pledges to fight on

BY: - December 30, 2022

Jack Fonder trusted his doctor. He’d spent years under her care, and she understood his medical history. But that changed when he transitioned. “It was one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had,” he recalled. Fonder is a transgender man – a person whose gender identity is as a man, but was assigned female sex […]