Talking about the most dangerous Republican in office can feel a bit like juggling hot potatoes. Here at Daily Kos, for example, we’re all familiar with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his seemingly endless terrible decisions, ranging from COVID-19 policies to LGBTQ+ issues. But some Republicans, for whatever reason, don’t always get the heat.
One such example is South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Noem proudly refused to enact stay-at-home orders for businesses during the pandemic and has resisted mask mandates. She’s hyped up critical race theory hysteria and come out strong against trans youth, especially when it comes to trans people and sports. A shining, terrible example? Noem signed the first anti-trans legislation into law in 2022, barring trans girls from participating in girls’ sports teams. During a Feb. 17 press briefing, a brave person asked Noem a question she could hardly answer. It’s only 20 seconds long, but the clip says it all. Let’s check it out below.
“There is a statistic circulating around right now,” a questioner who identified themselves as Kyle, of South Dakota broadcasters, begins. “That 90% of South Dakota’s LGBTQ+ community is diagnosed with either anxiety or depression. Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know,” Noem says in reply. “That makes me sad and we should figure it out.”
After a pause, she says, “Anything else? Okay.”
Here is that clip.
We should figure it out. Hm. Perhaps Noem could look in a mirror? She’s a vehement transphobe and has signed legislation into law that can actively isolate extremely vulnerable trans youth. Her signing such legislation into law symbolizes a discriminatory, exclusionary atmosphere even for trans people who aren’t into sports—as soon as any kind of “othering” is enacted into law, it quickly gives credence to people’s idea that they can deny people rights or opportunities just because they’re somehow different.
As Daily Kos covered, earlier this week an LGBTQ+ organization set up a table outside her literal office door, and she refused to meet with them, instead opting to hide in her office. Perhaps talking to an openly trans person might have shed some light? Even just setting up an appointment in the future to hear the group out would have been a (tiny) step in the right direction. But no.
“That makes me sad” is a response that feels right out of the “thoughts and prayers” playbook. It’s, frankly, demeaning; she might not be familiar with a particular study or statistic, sure, but I think it’s safe to say she has the intelligence and critical reasoning skills to understand that signing anti-trans legislation into law is going to impact how those already marginalized people in her state feel. It doesn’t take being a statistics expert or a mental health professional to understand; it takes having a conscience.
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