Former Aberdeen mayor Mike Levsen: A twisted legislative crusade – making life more difficult for trans people

As the South Dakota 2025 legislative session looms, our elected representatives face plenty of tough issues. One wonders if they will once again spend lots of their limited time agonizing over what bathrooms people use.

It’s routine political strategy to raise emotional hot-button issues, and going after trans individuals is typical of low-integrity exercises we see at all levels of government. The game plan is to attack groups having little political power while appealing to prejudices of the general public.  Then, shout down common-sense counter-arguments and grandstand to voters.

This has been done to minority groups forever, and applied also to religion, patriotism, guns, sex, and crime; it’s designed to tap into knee-jerk reactions. It feeds on ignorance.

We shouldn’t be surprised — it’s just routine. It’s almost scripted and, sort of like demanding balancing the federal budget, not always done with sincerity. 

So, we can disregard most of this as political theater. However, the ongoing crusade to make life more difficult for trans people seems particularly despicable and inexcusable.

Most estimates suggest between 0.5 and 1.5%  of USA residents are identifiable as “trans.” That’s obviously highly speculative due to how individuals are identified. If generally accurate it would indicate we may have 8,000 to 10,0000 of our South Dakota neighbors in this group.

Life for them isn’t easy, especially for young people. They haven’t chosen to have gender issues, they haven’t chosen to face difficulties with family and friends, and they confront hard choices the rest of us do not.

Knowing that, one would reasonably have empathy. Maybe even look for ways to help.

Contrast empathy with efforts of those who go out of their way to make trans folks subject to more prejudices. It is disgusting to see some, particularly public officials, attack individuals who simply want to be themselves and are pursuing paths to do that. Don’t these people in Pierre have enough to do without spending time singling out fellow South Dakotans by labeling them as dangerous and vilifying them out as individuals to be ostracized and separated?

The bathroom stuff is a red herring non-issue from the start. People routinely share same-sex bathrooms with lockable stalls.

Medical decisions are not served well by big government intrusion.

Youth sports is a difficult issue. Seems clear that all young people should have the opportunity to play sports. At the same time it’s clear that unreasonable disparities in size or ability can happen.

But, we don’t have to pick one conclusion; both things can be true. Individual schools and sports groups have dealt with situations as they arise and real consequential implications have been extremely rare.

Do our public officials in Pierre get up in the morning thinking “How can I make things even more difficult for those trans families today?” Can we ask for just a bit of humanity from these culture crusaders?

Will the “Freedom Caucus” defend freedom for trans people and their families?

Former Aberdeen Mayor Mike Levsen is a regular contributor to The South Dakota Standard.

Photo:  public domain, wikimedia commons