House advances bill on new transgender regulation

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) -Those who are against house bill 1076 were excited to see the legislation killed in the house committee early Tuesday morning, but now that excitement is gone.

“It was a huge disappointment to see it pass, we were really encouraged when it was killed in committee yesterday morning, just to see it smoked out, then to pass today disappointing,” said Jett Jonelis, American Civil Liberties Union South Dakota Advocacy Manager.

The ACLU of South Dakota released a statement after the bill passed in the state house this afternoon.

They say the bill was a thinly veiled attempt to discriminate against transgender South Dakotans.

While those for the bill believe it is important to keep birth certificates as true record of how people are born.

“If we cannot decide something at the chromosome level, that is decided at the moment of conception, if we cannot agree that this is objective truth than I don’t know what is true,” said Bethany Soye, Republican, Sioux Falls.

Transgender people from South Dakota are worried about this bill becoming law and what it means for the future.

“It can affect you as far as employment it can affect as far as people vandalizing and their unhappy in their lives so they want to take it out on somebody else, they think that person is an easy target to take out their frustrations,” said Miranda Gohn, transgender advocate.

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