The North Dakota State Legislature meets bi-annually and they convened on January 3. They are scheduled to adjourn on April 28. Although they have several topics and bills up for debate this year, there is a significant number of bills that will directly affect schools and students.
One bill that garnered a lot of attention early was Senate Bill 2199. It would have required all members of state-funded organizations and institutions to use pronouns that match the gender marked on their birth certificate. If caught in violation, these institutions could be charged up to $1500.
The proposed bill outlines who these new rules apply to, “…all policies, records, forms, rules, standards, procedures, guides, materials, instruction, training, correspondence, advertising, or marketing used by any entity receiving state funding, including a public school, an institution under the control of the state board of higher education, and a state agency or office.” This indicates the ruling would apply to us, here at school. Now, this specific bill did fail, but bills like House Bill 1522 and 3010 open the door for anti-trans discrimination in schools.
House bills 3010, 1249 and 1489 discriminate against trans women in sports specifically, supposedly to protect “women’s rights” by distinguishing by biological sex, “for the purpose of providing equal opportunities and ensuring the privacy and safety of women and girls.” Is that the real reason? How often does the conservative government make choices and legislation that benefits women? Not many to count since they “gave” women the right to vote.
The student body of North were very hesitant to comment. One student gave a very passionate response. They expressed their concern over this bill and not only how it would affect high schoolers, but middle and elementary students as well. They started off saying, “ I think it’s going to take away the gains we’ve made in general, we’re making kids that young understand the diversity of the world in general. They don’t have to respect or understand it. It’s the fact that they at least acknowledge it exists, it’s a lot better.”
“They (kids) can’t even vote on it, they have no say. It’s just asking for another generation to grow up not understanding the world around them,” explained the student.
As for pronoun restrictions or hate in general, “- you don’t respect it just because it’s something you don’t agree with? You don’t have to illegalise everything you don’t agree with. It’s completely stupid.”
I wish our representatives should focus on bettering our school, whether increasing our funding, giving teachers a raise, or introducing new curriculum. Or addressing the school shooting epidemic and keeping us safe in our learning environment. Instead, they chose to enact more legislation against the LGBTQIA+ community, opening the door for more hate and violence.