ICYMI: Gov. Kristi Noem, Champion of Anti-Trans Bill "Doesn’t Know" Why LGBTQ+ South Dakotans Suffer From Depression; It's Time Anti-Equality Politicians Acknowledge Their Actions Have Harmful Impact

Pierre, South Dakota - February 18, 2022 - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem - who not only signed the first anti-trans bill of 2022 into law, but even authored it herself - was stumped Thursday when asked why she thinks nearly 90% of LGBTQ+ South Dakotans suffer from anxiety and depression.

"I don't know," Noem told a reporter. "That makes me sad, and we should figure it out."

Gov. Noem has been on a two-year crusade attacking transgender youth with relentless, baseless, and patently discriminatory bills. She authored, submitted to the legislature, and signed Senate Bill 46 earlier this month, which bans trans youth from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity. Earlier this year, she even placed a national ad touting her work to 'protect women's sports' and her chief of staff recently likened transgender student athletes to terrorists.

The same thing is happening in statehouses across the country. Transgender people, and especially transgender children, are under attack like never before. In the last three years, anti-LGBTQ groups and politicians have singled out transgender kids to deny them access to gender-affirming medical treatment, prevent them from participating in sports teams consistent with their gender identity, and deny access to bathrooms. 2020 set a record number for anti-transgender bills filed with 79 bills, largely focused on attacking transgender youth; 2021 surpassed that record with 147 such bills filed in 34 states. For transgender youth - who are simply trying to navigate their adolescence - to bear the weight of these attacks year after year, these bills take a toll.

Perhaps Gov. Noem and other anti-equality politicians working to pass bills that discriminate against LGBTQ+ kids should take some time to watch these videos of 11-year-old Libby Gonzales telling the story of how it feels to be subjected to repeated attacks by her state legislature, or 14-year-old Rebekah, telling her story of how much being able to play sports means to her, or 11-year-old Maya who is able to be the person she's always been because of life-saving gender-affirming medical care. Or, they could check out a new national study showing the high number of LGBTQ+ people experiencing depressive symptoms in many of the states considering these types of bills.

According to data from the Trevor Project, 42% of LGBTQ+ youth nationwide seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth. Last month, the Trevor Project also released the results of a poll that found more than 60% of LGBTQ+ youth said their mental health had deteriorated as a result of recent anti-transgender legislation, including anti-trans sports bans, medical care bans, and bathroom bills.

The nation's leading child health and welfare groups representing more than 7 million youth-serving professionals and more than 1,000 child welfare organizations released an open letter calling for lawmakers in states across the country to oppose dozens of bills that target LGBTQ+ people, and transgender children in particular.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organizations working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.