North Dakota lawmakers have made history for passing a total of 10 anti-LGBTQ+ bills, setting a record for the highest number of legislative attacks targeting our LGBTQ community in a single day this year. This slate of hate advanced yesterday when the North Dakota Senate passed 10 bills targeting the rights of LGBTQ+ North Dakotans. Cathryn Oakley, HRC’s State Legislative Director & Senior Counsel stated, “It’s shameful, yet not surprising, that instead of spending their day attempting to tackle the real issues facing North Dakotans, extremist legislators in Bismarck were working vigorously to rile up the far fringes of their base & now some of their most marginalized constituents could pay the price. These 10 bills the most anti-LGBTQ+ bills to pass a single legislative chamber in one day in modern history have the sole aim of pushing LGBTQ+ people back into the closet. We urge Governor Burgum to reject this plain & simple discrimination.” The Senate also overrode Governor Burgum’s veto of SB 2231. In his veto letter the governor stated that the “teaching profession is challenging enough without the heavy hand of state government forcing teachers to take on the role of pronoun police. Parents, teachers & administrators using compassion, empathy & common sense can address individual & infrequent situations that may arise." These pieces of legislation are the result of ongoing far-right pressure placed upon lawmakers, spearheaded by political extremists & disinformation campaigns on social media & other platforms. They barely scratch the surface of the hundreds of bills being pushed by national anti-LGBTQ+ organizations across dozens of states. The following bills will now head to Governor Burgum’s desk for a signature or veto.
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