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House State Affairs Committee Votes To Void High School Activities Association's Transgender Policy

South Dakota High School Activities Association logo
South Dakota High School Activities Association logo

Follow @Nate_WekSDPB

The House State Affairs committee passed a bill Monday, which voids the high school activities association’s policy on allowing transgender students to participate in high school athletics. Representative Jim Bolin says state lawmakers should decide a policy with this much importance, not the activities association board of directors.

Bolin says the state lawmakers have a plan, if this bill should pass.

"We will have a policy, and the policy we will have will essentially be the same as four other states; Alabama, North Carolina, New Hampshire and the state of Georgia," said Representative Bolin. "And that policy would be, whatever is on your birth certificate, that is the gender which you will use to determine which classification of sport you are in."

Opponents view this this bill as discrimination against which gender a student might identify with. House bill 1195 passed the House State Affairs committee 10-2, and it goes next to the House floor.

Nate Wek is currently the sports content producer and sports and rec beat reporter for South Dakota Public Broadcasting. He is a graduate of South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism Broadcasting and a minor in Leadership. From 2010-2013 Nate was the Director of Gameday Media for the Sioux Falls Storm (Indoor Football League) football team. He also spent 2012 and 2013 as the News and Sports Director of KSDJ Radio in Brookings, SD. Nate, his wife Sarah, and three sons, Braxan, Jordy, and Anders live in Canton, SD.