South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a
Republican, is expected to sign a bill that bans transgender girls
and women from participating in female sports.
Noem said on Monday that South Dakota
was celebrating International Women's Day by “defending women's
sports.” Her remarks came shortly after the South Dakota Senate
approved House Bill 1217 and sent it to her desk for her signature.
“In South Dakota, we're celebrating
#InternationalWomensDay by defending women's sports!” Noem tweeted.
“I'm excited to sign this bill very soon.”
South Dakota is the second state this
year to approve such a ban. Mississippi lawmakers approved a similar
bill last week and Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican, has said that
he will sign it into law.
The legislation is part of a wave of
anti-LGBT bills being considered by state lawmakers.
According to a count by the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, 108
bills targeting the LGBT community have been introduced in state
legislatures this legislative session, with 71 bills specifically
targeting the rights of transgender individuals.
(Related: White
House Press Secretary Jen Psaki: Biden believes “trans rights are
human rights.”)
For decades, anti-LGBT groups focused
on denying marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. Following the
Supreme Court's 2015 ruling striking down state laws and
constitutional amendments that limited marriage to heterosexual
couples, these organizations turned their attention to attacking
transgender individuals as they sought greater acceptance. Under
former President Donald Trump, the administration almost exclusively
focused on reversing gains for transgender people.