Following criticism from right-wing media, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration cancelled a contract with a transgender organisation.
The South Dakota Department of Health terminated the Transformation Project’s contract after discovering that it had broken a number of its terms, according to the department. This is a false justification, according to Transformation Project officials.
Right-wing news outlet The Daily Signal claimed last week that it had “called the governor’s attention” to the organisation and its intention to co-host the Midwest Gender Identity Summit with Sanford Health, which runs hospitals and other healthcare facilities, in January.
The Transformation Project is alleged to “celebrate controversial medical treatments for kids and arrange parties where participants ritually “burn” their “old name or pronouns,” according to The Signal.” The meeting was criticised for advocating gender-affirming medical practises, which the Signal referred to as “experimental medicine,” in the magazine. The American Medical Association and other significant health organisations have accepted this treatment, thus it is neither experimental nor highly contentious.
However, the contract with the Transformation Project was swiftly terminated, and Noem, a Republican with a history of anti-LGBTQ+ and particularly anti-trans stances, provided the Signal with the following statement: “South Dakota does not support this organization’s efforts, and state government should not be participating in them. Radical beliefs shouldn’t be dividing our youth. Every person should be treated equally as a fellow human being. Noem had not previously been aware of the deal, according to her press secretary, Ian Fury, who spoke to the outlet.
The Transformation Project’s contract was cancelled, according to Lynne Valenti, deputy secretary of health for South Dakota, because the organisation failed to fulfil a number of requirements, including hiring a community health care worker and submitting quarterly reports, among others. The group’s executive director, Susan Williams, however, said in an open letter that the organisation had recruited the health professional and was fully in accordance with the contract.
According to Williams, the Transformation Project has come under “extreme scrutiny” from websites that spread misinformation about transgender individuals and support violence and discrimination against them. We are also quite concerned about the perception that the termination of this contract is due to the people we serve, rather than our actions, she continued. The organisation states that its goal is to “educate communities in SD and the surrounding region about gender identity and expression while supporting and empowering transgender individuals and their families.”
Simply put, Williams noted, “We obtained a grant to start a CHW programme and we did just that. “We followed the terms of the contract to the letter, and we are shocked by what we consider to be false portrayals of our work. We are even more saddened because it is crystal clear that South Dakota’s transgender and larger LGBQ2S communities experience health inequities that may be reduced thanks to this award, which was the original plan. She stated that the group is seeking legal counsel.
The Argus Leader, a Sioux Falls newspaper, reports that South Dakota’s secretary of health, Joan Adam, announced her resignation on Monday. According to the newspaper, there has been “unconfirmed conjecture” that her retirement was connected to the contract’s termination.
