Trend – LGBTQ Attacks
Rapid City prosecutors inch toward decision in year-old homicide of transgender woman
Prosecutors in Rapid City have connected with the family of Acey Morrison, a transgender Native American woman shot to death more than a year ago by a man who says he shot her in self-defense. Pennington County State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel met with Morrison’s family to discuss the case this week, spokeswoman Katy Urban told […]
One year later, no decision in slaying of transgender woman in Rapid City
It’s been a year since a Rapid City man shot Acey Morrison to death in a trailer home north of town. Pennington County prosecutors have yet to decide whether to charge the shooter or close the investigation into her death. Morrison, a transgender Native American woman, was shot after meeting a man on the dating […]
Johnson subjects military funding to partisan politics, despite pledging otherwise
How times have changed for the Republican Party. It was once the party of law and order. Now Donald Trump, its top candidate for president, is facing his third recent indictment, this time for fomenting the overthrow of the very government he purportedly wants to lead. It was once the party of business, but now […]
Why hasn’t a lawsuit challenged SD’s trans health care ban?
Twenty-one states have implemented laws or policies banning gender-affirming care for transgender children. Nearly half of the laws have been challenged in court, but not South Dakota’s. That’s partly because a similar ban was already blocked by a federal judge in Arkansas earlier this summer. The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the Arkansas law in […]
Johnson votes yes on VA spending bill that renews abortion, transgender fights
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans approved their first government spending bill Thursday, following tense debate about whether the Department of Veterans Affairs should provide abortions in limited circumstances and the GOP’s decision to cut military construction funding. The 219-211 mostly party-line vote (Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, voted yes) on the Military Construction-VA appropriations bill […]
Bans on abortion and gender-affirming care are attacks on liberty
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 […]
Nine months and counting: Slain transgender woman’s family frustrated by wait for justice
Prosecutors in Rapid City know who shot and killed Acey Morrison. They’ve known since Aug. 21, 2022. That was the day the transgender member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe was shot in the mobile home of a man she’d met for an ill-fated hookup attempt that began on a dating app. What they don’t know […]
Noem criticizes universities, issues series of ‘challenges’
Gov. Kristi Noem challenged the South Dakota Board of Regents in a letter Thursday to “improve higher education” in the state through a range of suggestions. Noem said she wants to bolster free speech, ban drag shows and the use of preferred pronouns on campuses, root out Chinese influence, require U.S. history and government classes, […]
LGBTQ+ candidate recruitment event draws dozens to downtown Sioux Falls
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 […]
Board approves ‘minors on campus’ policy following drag show controversy
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 […]
‘Children are political targets’: A family’s struggle with SD’s trans health care ban
Joey enjoys playing basketball and baseball. He’s a sixth grader, and he wants to be an exotic animal vet when he grows up. He likes to build with Legos and he loves science, but he’s not a fan of math. He’s teaching himself how to play the guitar, he plays trombone in the school band […]
Board reviews ‘minors on campus’ policy in response to drag show
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 […]