We must come together and demand Governor Burgum veto this horrendous policy immediately.
House Bill 1298 violates both the United States Constitution and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which protects all students – including those who are transgender – from discrimination based on sex.
This policy has never been about leveling the playing field for student. It’s been obvious from the beginning that this discriminatory legislation is about creating a solution to problems that don’t exist. Codifying discrimination like this does nothing but hurt some of the most vulnerable people in our state.
North Dakota should be better than this.
That's why earlier today, we issued a letter to Burgum detailing the reasons to veto House Bill 1298:
- House Bill 1298 will harm transgender youth.
- House Bill 1298 violates the Constitution and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act.
- House Bill 1298 risks the loss of significant amounts of education funding and will result in high litigation costs.
- Transgender students already live and go to school in North Dakota. Some play sports and many just want to enjoy time with their friends. They all deserve the chance to succeed and thrive like any other student.
Organizations across the state have warned that this bill could have severe ramifications on workforce recruitment, business relocation, tourism and sports. By passing House Bill 1298, the state is now open to costly litigation. Is that what really we want for North Dakota?
