Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Whenever There Is Trans Legislation You Can Count On One Thing…

…That the opposition will use fear of trans people as part of their effort to defeat the bill.
Editorial: On transgender issue, choose facts over fear
Argus Leader Editorial Board
January 21, 2019

Here we go again.

Despite past failed attempts to sanction discriminatory treatment of transgender high school students, the South Dakota Legislature is plodding forth with yet another ill-fated proposal.

Republican lawmakers Jim Bolin and Thomas Brunner have introduced legislation aimed at sinking a South Dakota Activities Association policy that allows transgender students to participate on sports teams that reflect their gender identities rather than the biological sex listed on their birth certificate.

The SDHSAA policy was crafted in 2015 after a survey showed that 77 percent of South Dakota high school superintendents wanted a statewide directive on the transgender issue, just as 44 other states have done. It calls for an independent hearing officer to review school and medical transcripts and personal statements before rendering a decision on eligibility.
[…]
Bolin has attacked the SDHSAA policy in the past with bills that passed the House before stumbling in the Senate, where less reactionary leaders were mindful of potential lawsuits that could put local school boards in a bind, not to mention the harmful effect of further targeting transgender students.
This piece of legislation is aimed at one thing… to rally the Republican voter base.

A judge saw through the hate,
The judge called the school board’s arguments in attempting to forbid the student to use the restroom corresponding to his gender identity “resoundingly unpersuasive.”
The Republicans have been losing the “bathroom battle” obsession so now they turned their focus at trans athletes.

Here in Connecticut two trans women student athletes won in trans & field and the mothers’ of the women that lost are trying to change the rules for trans student athletes. Published reports say that they are looking for a friendly legislator to introduce the bill (here in CT the deadline to introduce bills has past, a committee can still introduce a bill, and there are also amendments for a bill and there is no limit to when an amendment can be introduced).

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