South Dakota legislative leadership is speaking out on a series of socially conservative bills advancing through the Legislature.
Bills regulating transgender use of bathrooms and limiting access to certain books in libraries have been common spark points in recent years.
Proposals targeting these areas have made headway in Pierre in the past week. House Bill 1259, which requires people to use the bathroom matching their biological sex at birth at public restrooms on state-owned property, passed the House and is on to the Senate. House Bill 1239, which would remove protections for librarians and teachers who lend out books deemed "harmful" to minors, advanced to the House floor.
Members of both Republican and Democratic leadership discussed these bills in legislative leadership press conferences Thursday.
House Majority Leader Rep. Scott Odenbach categorized this type of legislation as the “three B’s” – bathrooms, birth certificates and books. The Spearfish Republican said they’re part of an effort pushing back against “wholesale cultural revolution.”
“Parents are waking up," Odenbach said. "I think there was some societal drift for a long time, and the pendulum is swinging back. We’re reestablishing a societal consensus about what kind of things we should protect little kids from.”
Other Republicans have characterized legislation in these areas as addressing safety issues.
Critics say the bills unfairly target already marginalized communities and open the state to civil lawsuits. Members of Democratic leadership also say they're a waste of the Legislature's time.
House Minority Leader Erin Healy said Republicans are “fixated” with attacking the transgender community.
“They’re trying to basically rally their base," Healy said. "And instead of addressing real issues, like education and health care and the economy, they are relentless. They continue to push harmful legislation that aims at erasing trans identities.”
No bills of this type have yet to reach the governor’s desk, and not all bills introduced in this area have seen success this session. Lawmakers rejected a bill requiring school staff to notify parents if their child expresses "gender confusion."
