Hotshot GOP Governor Sends Bill Barring Men from Women's Sports Back to Lawmakers
Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem sent a bill banning males from women’s sports back to the South Dakota Legislature on Friday, citing “vague and overly broad language.”
In a Friday news release, Noem clarified that she believes “boys should play boys’ sports, and girls should play girls’ sports” but warned that the bill’s “vague and overly broad language could have significant unintended consequences.”
Noem said as recently as March 8 that she was “excited” to sign a bill that not only bars males from participating in women’s sports but also establishes that there are two sexes and that there are inherent differences between men and women.
In South Dakota, we’re celebrating #InternationalWomensDay by defending women’s sports! I’m excited to sign this bill very soon. https://t.co/OU15HOwp2r
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) March 8, 2021
The bill was sent to Noem’s desk on March 10.
Noem said the bill “creates an unworkable administrative burden on schools” and that it is “unrealistic in the context of collegiate athletics.”
“South Dakota has shown that our student athletes can compete with anyone in the country, but competing on the national stage means compliance with the national governing bodies that oversee collegiate athletics,” Noem said.
“While I certainly do not always agree with the actions these sanctioning bodies take, I understand that collegiate athletics requires such a system — a fifty-state patchwork is not workable.”
I believe that boys should play boys’ sports, and girls should play girls’ sports. I’m returning House Bill 1217 with the following recommendations as to STYLE and FORM. (1/)
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) March 19, 2021
The bill is one of many introduced this year aimed at protecting women and children.
A review conducted by Axios found that GOP lawmakers have introduced 61 pieces of legislation in at least 25 states that criminalize gender transition surgeries for children or prevent males from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.
The latest Politico/Morning Consult poll found that 53 percent of registered voters do not support males competing in women’s sports.
Some groups, including the Greater Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, argue that the proposed South Dakota law would hurt the state’s economy.
When North Carolina passed a bill in 2016 banning local governments from requiring businesses to allow transgender people to use their preferred bathroom, dozens of events were cancelled in protest.
The American Principles Project has encouraged Noem to sign the bill.
Jon Schweppe, APP’s director of policy and government affairs, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Noem was facing pressure not to sign the bill from the NCAA, the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and an Amazon plant in Sioux Falls, which was “quietly threatening” to leave if the bill becomes law.
South Dakota state Rep. Rhonda Milstead, one of the bill’s sponsors, told the DCNF that opposition to the bill was “inevitable” and that changing its language is not within Noem’s purview.
“She’s the executive branch, the legislature is the one that passes laws,” Milstead said. “So if she wants to change the language, it has nothing to do with style and form. It has everything to do with content, context.”
“That’s not appropriate,” she added. “It’s really going outside of the powers of the branch. That’s not what the executive branch is for.”
The bill is strongly supported by Republicans and religious groups in South Dakota, including the South Dakota Catholic Conference and the Family Heritage Alliance Action.
“We have been encouraging her to stand strong and follow through with her signature,” Norman Woods, executive director of the Family Heritage Alliance Action, told the DCNF.
“We have been asking her to hold the line and protect women’s sports here in South Dakota,” he added.
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A version of this article appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation website.
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