A Republican lawmaker in South Dakota
has introduced a bill that could wipe out LGBT rights gains in the
state.
According to Sioux Falls' CBS News
affiliate KELO,
Representative Tony Randolph's bill would “prohibit the state from
enforcing, endorsing or favoring policies that cover a range of
activities that involve members of the LGTBQ community.”
The bill seeks to prohibit same-sex
marriage, roll back local laws that prohibit discrimination based on
sexual orientation and gender identity and block gay and lesbian
couples from receiving state benefits. The bill also would allow
therapies that attempt to alter the sexual orientation or gender
identity of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or
transgender.
The ACLU of South Dakota criticized the
bill in a statement.
“Marriage equality is the law of the
land in South Dakota and the entire nation, no matter what half-baked
legal theories anti-LGBTQ lawmakers try to put forward,” said Libby
Skarin, the policy director for the ACLU of South Dakota. “This
bill is further proof that some South Dakota legislators remain
committed to discriminating against LGBTQ people and their families.
South Dakota lawmakers cannot defy the U.S. Supreme Court based on
their extreme personal views.”