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State News ::
HB 1144 introduced with bipartisan support. Take action!
Tuesday, 02 February 2010 14:06
HB 1144 (full text) was introduced in Pierre last week by Rep. Deb Peters (R-Hartford) and Sen. Nancy Turbak-Berry (D-Watertown), along with 24 of their colleagues from both sides of the aisle. It would add sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and military/veteran status to the list of reasons someone can't be discriminated against on the job, in housing, public accomodations, or in education. We know this legislation has a real shot at passing, and you can help make that a reality.
Your legislators need to hear from you today! If you don't know who they are or how to get a hold of them, click here to find out.
Not sure what to say? No problem! Here are 3 things you can tell them:
1.) South Dakotans support this. 83% of South Dakotans want people to be treated equally on the job, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
2.) HB 1144 is good for South Dakota. Updating state law can help keep young people here who would otherwise feel compelled to leave South Dakota, and can help attract new people and businesses to our state.
3.) Businesses have been leading the way. 44 of the 50 largest South Dakota employers include sexual orientation and/or gender identity in their non-discrimination policies, including the South Dakota Board of Regents. They wouldn’t have done so unless it helped their bottom line, and they recognize that inclusive policies attract and retain the best and brightest talent.
Contacting your legislator is vital to making sure all employees are protected from discrimination.
State News ::
Workplace Fairness - Primary Focus of Equality South Dakota
Tuesday, 12 January 2010 21:01
For Immediate Release -- Issue date: January 8, 2010
Workplace Fairness for Gay & Transgender South Dakotans Remains Primary Focus for Equality South Dakota
SIOUX FALLS – Eighty-three percent (83%) of South Dakotans think everyone should be treated equally with regard to employment and job opportunities – regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. This is a finding from a Dec 21, 2009 scientific poll conducted by Robinson & Muenster Associates, Inc.
This data confirms that Equality South Dakota (EqSD) is on the right track in making the strategic decision to focus the organization’s efforts on Workplace Fairness. “All workers should be judged solely on their merits,” says chair Robert Doody, a Sioux Falls attorney. “Hardworking South Dakotans should have the chance to earn a living and provide for their families. South Dakota cannot afford to deny anyone the option to contribute to the economic life of our state because of characteristics that have no bearing whatsoever on the ability to do a job.”
State News ::
Rapid City School Board Chooses Equality
Friday, 08 January 2010 00:50
A great victory this evening... a big victory for the people of Rapid City and their families.
The sharply divided vote was 4-3. It became clear through the evening that those four votes look very solid, so the policy is very likely to be adopted at the next school board meeting when it gets its final reading.
Equality South Dakota was proud to have helped get the word out which brought a large majority to the meeting who spoke eloquently from personal experience about the need to defend LGBT employees and families. Factual information was delivered by EqSD and community citizens in favor of this policy. Supporters outnumbered opponents 25 to 9!
(more below the fold)
National News ::
Impact of Nondiscrimination in South Dakota
Thursday, 07 January 2010 08:43
UCLA’S WILLIAMS INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF NONDISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION IN SOUTH DAKOTA
For Immediate Release
January 5, 2010
Media Contact: Lee Badgett, 310-904-9761 (C) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
LOS ANGELES - Today the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law released a new research report exploring the issues of employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens of South Dakota. The report finds that providing protection from employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity will protect as many as 14,000 LGBT South Dakotans.
The report summarizes the best available data from government sources and from recent research. One key finding is that large percentages of LGBT people report discrimination and harassment in the workplace. A 2008 survey found that 37% of gay and lesbian people reported workplace harassment in the last five years.
“Protecting employees from discrimination in the workplace is not only good for individual employees, but it also helps businesses. Employees who do not fear harassment or discrimination report higher job satisfaction and greater productivity” explains study co-author Lee Badgett, Research Director of the Williams Institute and director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The report also finds that passing legislation to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity will not result in a burden on government agencies. Instead, the report predicts that approximately 5 LGBT South Dakotans per year may file complaints with state agencies.
“Based on the experiences of other states that have passed employment protections for LGBT employees, there is no evidence to suggest that expanding employment protections to LGBT employees in South Dakota would encumber the services of existing agencies,” said Naomi Goldberg, a public policy fellow at The Williams Institute.
The Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy advances law and public policy through rigorous, independent research and scholarship, and disseminates its work through a variety of education programs and media to judges, legislators, lawyers, other policy makers and the public. This study can be accessed at the Williams Institute website, www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute.