“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” -Ronald Reagan.
CWA of South Dakota was present at the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) meeting in Pierre on Tuesday, April 21. We, along with 10 other pro-family leaders and legislators, testified regarding our opposition to the Association’s transgender policy that was adopted last year in June. (You will recall that after a hard-fought effort to void the policy in the legislature, the bills failed.) You may read Linda’s testimony at sd.cwfa.org.
The SDHSAA has decided to take a survey of the local school superintendents and the school boards concerning the transgender policy. However, our message is clear: VOID THE POLICY! If they must replace it, we have a suggested policy they could consider. (See suggested replacement policy below.)
So what can you do?
- Thank God that the SDHSAA provided us the opportunity to voice our concerns with this dangerous policy. Pray that God will direct the board members to void the policy. We want all children’s safety and privacy to be upheld.
- Contact your local public and private school superintendents and school board members and respectfully voice your concerns with this message: VOID THE POLICY!
- Attend your local school board meeting.
- Contact the SDHSAA board members (www.sdhsaa.com) and respectfully urge them to void the transgender policy. Click here to access the board members’ e-mail addresses.
- Pass this information on to others and urge them to pray and take action as well.
- For more information, read the article on page 2 of our South Dakota Spring Newsletter at sd.cwfa.org.
Talking Points
- The policy adopted by the SDHSAA would allow, for example, a boy who feels like a girl to play on the girls team, share restroom and shower room facilities, motels for on-the-road activities, etc. This is a violation of safety and privacy.
- The student’s government-issued birth certificate should be the sole determinant for the child’s sex. Currently, a student may not participate in school sports beyond their 20th birthday, which is determined by their birth certificate. This creates a double standard.
- Children with gender dysphoria need compassionate counseling, not enabling.
- Discrimination action would result in “sensitivity training.”
- There is no federal or state law that requires a transgender policy.
- The so-called religious exemption is faulty and could create a lawsuit if a faith-based school forfeited a game because of religious tenets.
Our Suggested Replacement Policy: For purposes of participation in athletics sanctioned by the SDHSAA the sole determinant of a student’s sexual identity is the student’s sex. The student’s sex is defined as the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined at conception, identified at birth by a person’s anatomy, and recorded on their official birth certificate.