South Dakota Governor Issues Executive Orders Rejecting Trans Athletes

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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has signed two executive orders aiming to restrict transgender women and girls and some non-binary people from school sports teams.

This mandate comes after Noem declined to sign a bill from state lawmakers prohibiting transgender athletes from playing on teams that match their gender identity. Although the South Dakota governor initially praised the bill, she eventually killed the legislation, citing possible legal issues for the state.

Noem issued two different executive orders — one for grade school sports and the other for college sports — and although the pair of directives have similar wording, there are notable differences between them. Both orders start off by stating that “In South Dakota, only females, based on their biological sex… shall participate in any girls’ or women’s athletic event,” but the college order is based on the sex listed on individuals’ “birth certificate issued at time of birth,” while the order pertaining to grade schools is based on individuals’ sex listed on “their birth certificate or affidavit provided upon initial enrollment.”