‘FUELED BY FEAR’

South Dakota Trans Student-Athletes Facing New Competition Restrictions

Bill would force teens to compete as the gender assigned to them at birth.

Transgender students in South Dakota could be prevented from playing on high-school sports teams based on their gender identity due to a new bill that would force them to compete as the gender assigned to them at birth. Existing statewide policy lets students participate in sports “in a manner consistent with their gender identity,” regardless of the sex listed in their student record or birth certificate. But the proposed legislation would make the gender on a student’s birth certificate the “sole determinant” of their “sexual identity,” CNN reports. Lawmakers claim the bill would make competitions fairer, but civil-rights organizations have strongly criticized the move. “No one is harmed by allowing transgender people to compete consistent with who they are. House Bill 1225 is clearly fueled by a fear and misunderstanding of transgender youth in our state,” said Libby Skarin of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota.

She’s Hip (Hop)

Kamala Harris’ Playlist: Yes, It’s Political, But It’s Smart

Barrett Holmes Pitner