ACLU of South Dakota Commends Decision to Kill House Bill 1076

Today, in a 6-0 vote, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted to kill legislation that would ban transgender people from obtaining birth certificates that accurately reflect their identity.

The ACLU of South Dakota opposed House Bill 1076. Forcing transgender South Dakotans to go through life with inaccurate birth certificates – a basic form of identification and essential government document – unnecessarily exposes them to discrimination, harassment and violence and would mean trans people would be forced to disclose their trans identity when accessing essential needs.

“By killing House Bill 1076, Senate lawmakers are upholding the Constitution’s promise that all people have a right to equal protection of the laws and to live freely and openly in society as who they are,” said Jett Jonelis, ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager. “Let this be a signal to the South Dakota Legislature that discrimination against a marginalized group of people like this is a distraction from the needs of the state and hurts us all. It’s time we stop these attacks and the very real harm they cause to transgender people across our state.”