They Got Their Hand Slapped.

The state of South Dakota thought that they could get away with it, butt they got caught in a lie.

South Dakota apologizes to transgender advocacy group, will pay $300K over canceled contract
The Hill
By Lauren Sforza
February 7, 2024

South Dakota will pay $300,000 and has apologized to a transgender advocacy group after the state government canceled a contract with the organization.

Attorneys for The Transformation Project announced the settlement Monday — more than a year after the group filed a lawsuit against Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and the state health secretary over the terminated contract.

Why was the contract canceled? Was it something that The Transformation Project did? No it was because they were LGBTQ+ organization.

The group alleged that its contract with South Dakota became a “political liability” after a conservative outlet brought it and one of the group’s planned events to Noem’s attention in December 2022, according to its complaint. The group alleged its contract was “abruptly terminated” in December 2022 “based purely on national politics.”

Then the state lied trying to weasel out of saying it was because of right-wing media.

“The Contract was only terminated after a conservative national media outlet contacted state officials. In response to a potentially negative news cycle, the State cancelled TTP’s [The Transformation Project] Contract, issued a statement, and subsequently alleged breaches of contract in an attempt to apply a thin gloss of contract law to the State’s discriminatory actions,” according to the complaint, which was filed in South Dakota federal court.

But the courts would believe none of the it.

South Dakota Department of Health Secretary Melissa Magstadt signed an apology letter to the organization dated Jan. 18. Magstadt was not the secretary when the contract was canceled in 2022, according to The Associated Press.

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An article in the Daily Beast reported that,

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem personally killed a 2022 state contract with a transgender advocacy group the minute she heard about it.

“South Dakota does not support this organization’s efforts, and state government should not be participating in them,” she told the press of The Transformation Project.

 

But Noem left it to a minion to write an apology required by Thursday’s finalized settlement of a federal discrimination lawsuit the group brought in response to the governor’s words and actions.

Her bigotry was so evident that,

But Noem’s words and actions were so nakedly unconstitutional that the Transmission Project was able to cite them as evidence of discrimination. The result was a lawsuit so strong that The Transformation Project was able to secure the written apology.

While Law & Crime wrote that,

Noem, a possible Donald Trump vice-presidential pick, was officially banned by the Oglala Sioux Tribe from the Pine Ridge Reservation Friday after Noem spoke out about wanting to send additional razor wire and law enforcement personnel to Texas to help border security. It was not the first time Noem and the tribe have battled. In May 2020, during the pandemic, Noem threatened to sue the tribe if leaders did not immediately remove coronavirus checkpoints. Prior to that, Noem signed a bill that requires a sign posted in public school classrooms reading “In God We Trust.”

A typical racist right-wing bigot.

However, nothing that I read said that the contract was reinstated which I feel is a victory for the state.