South Dakota considers ban on teaching about gender identity

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota lawmakers will consider banning public school teaching on gender identity in elementary and middle schools, a push critics said targets transgender students in the same way some states limit the positive portrayal of homosexuality in the classroom.

The state would be the first in the nation to block instruction on gender identity or gender expression, said Nathan Smith, public policy director at GLSEN, a national group focused on safe schools for LGBTQ students. But the organization recently counted seven states with restrictions on positively portraying homosexuality in health classes, sometimes called “no-promohomo” laws. The states are Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

“It’s maybe a little different in the way that it’s crafted and maybe a little different in the way, sort of the population that it targets, but the underlying concerns are the same for us as they would be in … a traditional ‘no-promohomo’ law,” Smith said. “We think that it’s bad broadly for LGBTQ students in South Dakota.”

LGBTQ students in states with such laws are more likely to face assault and harassment at school and get less support from teachers and administrators, according to a GLSEN research brief.

South Dakota’s bill would cover public school students from kindergarten through seventh grade. Education Department spokeswoman Mary Stadick Smith said she’s not aware of gender identity being taught in schools.

Republican Sen. Phil Jensen, the sponsor, said he has constituents concerned it might become an issue in schools. Jensen said he’s worried about teaching children topics that aren’t age-appropriate and that students are failing to master the basics.