(Pierre, SD) — South Dakota’s transgender community could be impacted by some bills under consideration by House lawmakers. The main bill that’s been discussed this week is House Bill 12-59, which would limit access to gender-assigned rooms like bathrooms to a person’s biological sex. Mike Phelan with the Transformation Project Advocacy Network testified against the bill on Wednesday, saying he doesn’t believe the proposed rules are necessary because transgender people just trying to use the bathroom are not a threat. Phelan is also a school board member in Vermillion where inclusive bathroom rules have been in place since 2022. He notes there have been zero instances of problems caused by transgender kids and bathrooms to this point. It’s not clear when the House will start making decisions on the legislation.
