From Lawrence Novotny, Equality South Dakota:
SB 119 Killed by Senate Committee
Senate bill 119, which would have permitted municipalities and counties to investigate discrimination based upon sexual orientation (SO), was killed in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee by a straight party line vote on Feb 6.
Several committee members offered their reasons for killing it
• This bill would create a negative economic impact (example cited: Whenever a GLBT person is not hired or promoted, that person would automatically file a lawsuit claiming discrimination based upon SO).
• Believes South Dakota already accepts everyone based upon the current existing statute which lists sex, race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, disability, familial status, or national origin. (reasoning: It does not matter what a person’s SO is, that person already is covered by one of the other categories.)
• Has not seen any evidence of discrimination (A counterpoint that was offered to this was that since the state does not provide any protection, individuals cannot file a discrimination complaint.)
Senator Adelstein (R-Rapid City), the bill’s prime sponsor, stated that this bill uses permissive language, provides for local control, and provides protections.
Tiffany Campbell, ACLU lobbyist, gave 3 reasons to support this bill
1) it provides workplace equality
2) it provides job security
3) it will result in positive economic impact and greatly help with employment
Campbell also distributed copies of:
A statement of support from the Brookings Human Rights Committee
The Williams Institute census survey of South Dakota
Equality South Dakota’s top 38 employers list
Mitch Richter, lobbyist for Equality South Dakota, cited the example that the city of Omaha (which has a population of half of the state of SD) has had this language in place without any negative effects. Richter also stated that since SD is always pushing for economic development, this would be a good bill since companies want to attract a talented workforce.
Rev. Karl Kloger, with the Pierre Methodist Church, spoke in favor of SB 119 stating the bill allows exemptions of religious organizations.
Even though Sen. Adelstein had amended gender identity out of the bill, the lobbyist for Concerned Women of America, focused on the potty panic issue. She also was concerned that this bill would result in all employees being forced to attend diversity training.
The lobbyist for Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls spoke against the bill using religion.
The lobbyist (who also identified himself as a pastor) for Family Alliance Action stated this bill would result in reverse discrimination and that the 14th Amendment already provides equal protection.
The Eagle Forum lobbyist stated she visited with a representative of the municipal league and county association and was told that cities and counties are not asking for this permission.
Sen. Adelstein, in his rebuttal, stated that this bill does not focus on bathrooms. It focuses on fairness in housing and employment and that the opposition is ridiculous.
Sen. Jim Bradford (D-Pine Ridge) was the only committee member to vote for the bill. He stated he has seen discrimination in action.
Sen. Shantel Krebs (R-Renner) hesitated before she cast her vote to kill the bill. (Apparently she knew what was right but was more concerned about re-election.)
Others who voted to kill the bill were: Sen. Jean Hunhoff (R-Yankton), Sen Reid Holien (R-Watertown), Sen. Bruce Rampelberg (R-Rapid City) & Sen. Todd Schlekeway (R-Sioux Falls).
To her credit, committee chairwoman Jean Hunhoff ensured that everyone was allowed to testify and that there was adequate time for questions. SB 119 was fifth on the committee’s morning calendar but when the hearings on the previous bills ran past noon, Hunhoff consulted with SB 119 proponents and re-scheduled the hearing for the afternoon after the Senate session ended (around 4 pm).
The Center for Equality urges you to join forces with Minnesota Senator, Al Franken, as he does his part to improve the lives of LGBT youth across America by introducing a bill that would offer LGBT youth more protection against bullying in our nation’s schools. All it takes is a very little bit of your time to make a difference. Our state, like all others, has LGBT youth to protect. Will you do your part? Watch this video or click here for more information.
Happy New Year from everyone here at the Center for Equality. 2011 was an amazing year for us all, and we look forward to supporting you, our LGBT community, in 2012!
So that we may do so better, we have decided to free up some of our staff hours in order to provide more outreach opportunities. In 2012 our hours will be changing slightly.
Our new hours are Tuesday- Friday 10 a.m.-5:00 p.m. It’s a small change, but one that will make a huge difference in what we are able to do for our community, and we’re excited!
Happy Holidays to you and yours! Please find our holiday hours listed below:
Friday, December 23: 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Monday, December 26: 6:00-8:00 p.m. (we’re normally closed on Mondays, but this week we’re open for our Holiday Potluck, please join us!)
Tuesday, December 27: 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (normal hours)
Wednesday, December 28: 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 29: 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Friday, December 30: 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
This lady is not feeling well. I’m afraid we will have to close a bit early tonight. 
But wait! All is not lost! Join us for one of our super fun upcoming events!
Friday (tomorrow)- Youth Christmas Movie Night (for ages 14-18) from 7-9:30 p.m.
Sunday- Rainbow Family Event, “Cocoa, Crafts and Christmas” (for LGBT families with kids) from 3-5 p.m.
Monday, December 26- Holiday Potluck (bring a side dish or dessert to share) from 6-8 p.m.
Hello, everyone! Just a quick update to let you all know we are still steadily building a collection of art for the exhibit so keep them coming!
Are you an LGBT or ally artist or do know someone who is? Contact Tiffany at tiffany@centersforequalitysd.org.
The show will be part of our spring 2012 fundraising efforts and will include a silent auction and wine tasting. It’s a great opportunity to support a great cause AND promote your work.
Works of art will be displayed for sale prior to, during and, if there’s any art left, after the show.
The Center for Equality will host a fundraiser at the east side Hu Hot on Wednesday, January 11 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Our trusty volunteers will be on hand to clear your tables, and a portion of all sales during those hours will be donated to benefit LGBTQ programming at the Center.
Come fill your bellies for a cause! Raffle tickets to win fabulous prizes will also be sold.
If you own a business and would like to donate items towards the raffle please contact Tiffany at tiffany@centersforequalitysd.org.
Want to volunteer for this event? Contact Tiffany at tiffany@centersforequalitysd.org.
Do you have an extra 5-10 minutes per week you could dedicate to finding and posting LGBT news? We’re looking for a few good people to help us keep our Facebook and Twitter friends up to date on current events in the LGBT world.
Interested? Please contact Tiffany at tiffany@centersforequalitysd.org if you’d like to help!
Due to business that will take this “army of one” out of the office we will be closed at 3 pm today. Thank you for you understanding.
Please check our site often for these types of updates or call 331-1153.
Thank you.
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