A bill addressing the South Dakota High School Activities Association’s transgender policy has been killed in committee. House Bill 1161 would void the policy the SDHSAA adopted in June 2014 and prevent the organization from creating any policies concerning sexuality or gender identity. Representative Roger Hunt says the SDHSAA does not have the right to dispute information on birth certificates.
"They really have no authority to take a document that we use when we get passports, when we get driver’s license, and fail to recognize part of it. Where is the authority to do that? Again they’re exercising the sovereign authority that we as a legislative body should be exercising," says Hunt.
Opponents of the measure say the transgender policy simply provides a framework for school boards to use if a student identifies as transgender and wishes to participate on a sports team opposite of the student’s birth gender. They say local school boards can decide what is best for their school.
The Senate Education Committee voted to kill the measure by 5 to 2.