Victory! South Dakota Defeats Anti-Transgender Bathroom Ban

February 13, 2018

UPDATE: Two additional bills targeting LGBTQ people have failed in the South Dakota Legislature. SB 160, which would have prohibited classroom instruction of gender expression or identity, and SB 202, which would have required all public restrooms to have a sign posted giving notice that a person of the “opposite sex” may be in the restroom, were both killed or voted down with bipartisan support. Thank you to the advocates and legislators who made these victories possible!

Congratulations to the team at Equality South Dakota for their successful effort to defeat discrimination of transgender students!

Monday, February 12th, a bill that would have have required school boards to establish and make available their policy regarding the use of bathrooms and locker rooms by transgender students, was tabled in committee. HB 1296 was defeated thanks to the advocacy of Equality South Dakota, the ACLU of South Dakota, and a coalition of school administrators, school boards, and reproductive rights groups.

Travis Letellier with Equality South Dakota said, “Here in South Dakota, we are very happy that our legislature has recognized that this type of bill isn’t necessary.  In fact, it only stirs up controversy and puts transgender students in a spotlight they don’t want to be in.

Schools and school boards across South Dakota have been successfully working with individual students and their families to implement policies that ensure students are able to access all components of an equitable education. By rejecting this bill, our legislators avoided a chaotic situation, and they are letting experts on the ground manage each individual situation as appropriate.”

Similar transgender bathroom bans in South Dakota have also been defeated in 2016 and 2017 thanks to the persistence and vigilance of on-the-ground advocates.

Keep it up and, together, we will win!

More You might like

Equality Federation Adds Alexis Sanchez and Vincent Paolo Villano to Senior Leadership Team

We are pleased to announce the addition of two effective and experienced leaders to our senior leadership team!

June 12, 2025
National Coalition of HIV, LGBTQ+ and Health Advocates Applauds Court Decision Upholding Law that Ensures Access to PrEP and other Healthcare Preventive Services

In response to the Supreme Court decision on the Braidwood case today, June 27, a national coalition released the following statement from the Executive Directors of Lambda Legal, PrEP4All, the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, the Center for HIV Law and Policy, and Equality Federation.

June 12, 2025
Equality Federation Response to U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s ban on affirming healthcare for transgender youth.

June 12, 2025
A young man looking up, smilingA young man smiling straight at the camera
Confident young woman standing with crossed arms.

Want To Make A Difference? Support Our Work

With your support, we'll be able to continue our work to build the leaders of today and tomorrow, strengthen state-based LGBTQ+ organizations, and make critical progress on the issues that matter most—like protecting transgender people, ending HIV criminalization and ensuring access to care, and banning conversion therapy across the country.