A bill in South Dakota that sought to
criminalize providing transition-related care to transgender youth
has died in committee.
The bill, House Bill 1057, had
previously cleared the South Dakota House.
According to Sioux Falls-based KELO-TV,
the Senate Health and Human Services Committee killed the bill on
Monday with a 5-2 vote after hearing emotional testimony from both
proponents and opponents of the bill during a packed hearing.
The proposed legislation sought to
prohibit puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgery to minors.
Health care professionals who provided the care faced one year in
prison and a fine of up to $2,000.
The ACLU of South Dakota and the
Transformation Project had led the charge against the bill.
“It's time we stop these attacks and
the very real harm they cause to transgender youth across our state,”
the ACLU's Libby Skarin said. “Let this be a signal to the South
Dakota Legislature that discrimination against a marginalized group
is a distraction from the needs of the state and hurts us all.”
Outside the capitol building, about 20
people chanting “trans rights are human rights” protested the
bill before the hearing.