A Senate panel is rejecting a bill that prohibits lewd and lascivious content on state property.
Backers say state resources should not be used to host events that are sexual in nature. Opponents viewed the bill as the state determining what events should and should not occur.
Republican State Senator Tim Reed said the bill expands state bureaucracy into content moderation.
“And I don’t know if that’s our place in government,” Reed said. “I disagree with that. I just don’t think we should be dealing with that in government. I think that should be community standards. It should be handled in different ways than state law.”
House Bill 1116 was brought in response to a drag show held on the campus of South Dakota State University last fall.
The event was hosted by the Gender and Sexualities Alliance at SDSU. State law says access to public institutions of higher education shall be equally available to all student organizations.
