Two weeks after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed Thursday’s criticism of the Republican for her apparent ignorance about the difficulties faced many LGBTQ+ people was due to her refusal to sign a law prohibiting transgender students from participating in sports teams that reflect their gender identity.
During a press briefing, reporter Kyle Ireland asked Noem: “There’s a statistic circling around right now that 90% of South Dakota’s LGBTQ community is diagnosed with either anxiety or depression. Why do you think that is?”
The governor responded: “I don’t know. That makes me sad and we should figure it out.”
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) shared a video of the exchange on Twitter and noted that discriminatory policies like the one Noem approved earlier this month “can be directly correlated to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation” in LGBTQ+ youth.
What’s truly sad is that study after study has shown conclusively that discriminatory bills exactly like the one @govkristinoemSigned can be directly linked to anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts in #LGBTQ youth – particularly for the most vulnerable #trans kids. https://t.co/TrMDyZTLQM
— NCLR – National Center for Lesbian Rights (@NCLRights) February 17, 2022
The NCLR also highlighted that similar measures are being considered and enacted in several other states, and reiterated that such policies “will have LONG-TERM and SERIOUS ramifications for the mental health and well-being” of the young people targeted.
Gov. Noem is “truly sad” about this statistic and wants to “figure it out,” we can point her to a study from our partners at the @TrevorProjectThis shows that anti-#transThe obvious culprit is the push for legislation in all 50 states.https://t.co/vssLrOJyo9
— NCLR – National Center for Lesbian Rights (@NCLRights) February 17, 2022
Congresswoman Marie Newman (D-Ill.) — who has a trans daughter — also responded to Noem’s comments on Twitter.
“Really? “Really? You just passed a discriminatory bill that attacks trans kids who just want be themselves and play sports,” Newman said. “Want to figure out why LGBTQ+ youth are more prone to depression? It’s because of people like you.”
After Noem — who is widely considered a leading candidate for the GOP’s 2024 presidential primary race — signed the anti-trans measure, Cathryn Oakley of Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said her “eagerness to pass a bill attacking transgender kids reveals that her national political aspirations override any sense of responsibility she has to fulfill her oath to protect South Dakotans.”
“Gov. Noem and South Dakota legislators need to stop playing games with vulnerable children,” added HRC’s legislative director and senior counsel. “Transgender children are children. They should be able to play with their friends. This legislation isn’t solving an actual problem that South Dakota was facing: It is discrimination, plain and simple. Shame on Governor. Noem.”
Last year, according to HRC legislators introduced more that 250 anti-LGBTQ+ laws in 31 states, and 17 laws were enacted in 10 states. As Common Dreams reported Despite warnings last week, Republican lawmakers continued to pursue such policies.
Polling published in August 2020 by Morning Consult and the Trevor Project found that LGBTQ+ youth “are significantly more likely than straight/cis youth to exhibit symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or both.”
Out of 600 LGBTQ+ people aged 13-24, 55% reported symptoms such as anxiety, 53% had depression symptoms, and 43% experienced both. The figures for trans and nonbinary youth were even higher at 69% 66% and 61%, respectively.
.@AmitPaleyGet the facts at the #AmericansInNeed hearing: “It is estimated that over 1.8 million LGBTQ youth will experience suicidal ideations this year, and The @TrevorProject estimates that at least one LGBTQ young person attempts suicide every 45 seconds.”
— Preston Mitchum, he/him (@PrestonMitchum) February 17, 2022
Amit Paley is the CEO and executive director at Trevor Project. said at the time that “we’ve known that LGBTQ youth have faced unique challenges because of the countless heartbreaking stories we’ve heard on our 24/7 phone lifeline, text, and chat crisis services; but these findings illuminate the existence of alarming mental health disparities that must be addressed through public policy.”
