South Dakota has apologized and agreed to pay $300,000 to a transgender advocacy group following a lawsuit over the termination of a contract.
The group alleged the decision was politically motivated.
The lawsuit settlement marks a significant milestone in civil rights advocacy, according to the lead attorney.
“This settlement marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to civil rights advocacy,” attorney Brendan Johnson said. “We commend the resiliency of the LGBTQ community and remain committed to vigorously upholding their rights.”
The state’s Health Secretary issued an apology, emphasizing equal treatment for all South Dakotans.
“On behalf of the State of South Dakota, I apologize that the Transformation Project’s contract was terminated and for treating the Transformation Project differently than other organizations awarded Community Health Worker contracts,” the letter read.
“I want to emphasize that all South Dakotans are entitled to equal treatment under the law — regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, or sex. South Dakota is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subject to discrimination under any program, activity, or service that it provides,” the Health Secretary wrote.
The advocacy group expressed relief over the settlement and intends to continue fighting for transgender rights.
The nonprofit provides support for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, including suicide prevention and education about gender identity.
“It feels good to know that we won,” Transformation Project Executive Director Susan Williams said. “I would say that we settled with the apology. It would have been nice to have the apology come from our governor.”
“I assumed the role of CHW with the intention of providing trans people in our community with the resources they require to succeed in this state, little realizing that doing so would result in my own outing as a trans man for standing up for what is right. We promise to keep up the battle for transgender rights and to make sure they have access to the resources they require,” Transformation Project Community project coordinator Jack Fonder stated.
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