Kristi Noem is up to her old tricks again.
After awkwardly appearing onstage alongside ex-president Donald Trump during that musical town hall debacle earlier in this week, South Dakota’s gay-hating governor joined nine other Republican governors in filing an amicus brief as part of a U.S. Supreme Court case that could result in trans youth being cut off from access to gender-affirming care.
The brief was submitted yesterday in the matter of U.S. v Skrmetti, a case centered around a 2023 Tennessee law that bans doctors from prescribing life-saving medical treatments, including puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapies, and surgeries used to support or affirm a minor’s gender identity.
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The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti could have major ramifications for states like South Dakota, where Noem signed House Bill 1080 into law last year. The law prohibits medical providers from properly treating patients under the age of 18 who struggle with gender dysphoria.
In a statement issued yesterday, Noem falsely labeled gender-affirming care “unscientific medical procedures” and, without any hint of irony, said the government has “no business” telling people what to do.
“South Dakota’s kids are our future, and I will always stand up for the next generation of South Dakotans,” the 52-year-old puppy killer said. “The Biden-Harris Administration intervened in this case, but the federal government has no business forcing states to perform harmful, irreversible and unscientific medical procedures on children.”
Noem’s bottomless hatred for LGBTQ+ people, especially queer youth, stretches way back to the beginning of her tenure as governor.
Since assuming office in 2019, she’s used her platform to push far-right policies, including banning drag shows, outlawing gender-affirming care for minors, and creating a “whistleblower hotline” that encourages the public to report anything “woke” happening at state colleges and universities.
She’s also partnered with the anti-LGBTQ+ hate group Moms for Liberty, repeatedly attacked trans athletes, and when a reporter confronted her at a press conference with the statistic that nearly 90% of LGBTQ+ people in South Dakota experience depression, the highest rate in the country, she blew the whole thing off.
“Why do you think that is?” the reporter asked. To which Noem replied disinterestedly, “I don’t know. That makes me sad and we should figure it out,” before moving on to the next question.
Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD), who just signed the first anti-trans bill of 2022 into law, is asked why she thinks 90% of LGBTQ+ youth in South Dakota are diagnosed with anxiety or depression:
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) February 17, 2022
“I don’t know. That makes me sad, and we should figure it out.” pic.twitter.com/WbKr2Tlujs
In response to Noem’s statement yesterday, the ACLU of South Dakota issued a statement of its own, calling out her remarks for being wildly misleading.
“No one is forcing the state to provide hormone therapy to children,” Samantha Chapman, advocacy manager for the ACLU of South Dakota, clarified. “Rather, the state is forcing medical providers to ignore standards of care and their medical judgement for treating gender dysphoria in youth patients.”
“There are many victims here, but the state government of South Dakota is not one,” she added. “Trans youth and their families deserve to live in a state that promises them a bright future, not one with a governor who punches down on the constituents she disfavors.”
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