South Dakota GOP Governor Kristi Noem has been recognized on a national level as a staunch defender of basic freedoms thanks to her liberty-focused response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Noem did not give into the left’s demands to lock down, refusing to institute a shelter-in-place order throughout the pandemic. South Dakota is the only state that never ordered a single business or church to close. Noem also vowed to follow the science, promising she would not impose a statewide mask requirement. Gov. Noem has been hailed as a hero amongst conservatives thanks to South Dakota outperforming New York in deaths per 100,000 people.
Talks surrounding her potential 2022 and 2024 aspirations have come to an abrupt halt. The Governor’s refusal to sign a bill may have gravely injured her rising political career. After issuing a “style and form” veto, Noem now finds herself pitted against fellow Republicans in support of House Bill 1217, a bill designed to protect female athletes in the state.
Noem’s backpedaling in her support for the legislation comes as a surprise to many. Just two weeks ago, the governor had previously vowed to back the bill that became increasingly popular in her state.
In South Dakota, we're celebrating #InternationalWomensDay by defending women's sports! I'm excited to sign this bill very soon. https://t.co/OU15HOwp2r
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) March 8, 2021
Republicans in the South Dakota state legislature passed House Bill 1217, which promotes fairness in women’s sports. The bill states that in regards to biological sex, there are only two genders. The legislation continues to read that “sex is determined at fertilization,” and there are key differences in the two genders. H.B. 1217 recognizes the performance gap between males and females in competitive sports and requires public schools to institute policies that prevent biological males from competing with women in non-coeducational leagues.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, a non-profit dedicated to the defense of religious liberties, has denounced Noem’s decision:
“Gov. Noem had an opportunity to protect women and girls by signing the Fairness in Women’s Sports bill, but instead she pandered to the demands of special interests. In what was an abuse of her ‘style and form’ veto power, she gutted protections for collegiate athletes and took away legal recourse for girls forced to compete against biological boys. We are shocked that a governor who claims to be a firebrand conservative with a rising national profile would cave to ‘woke’ corporate ideology.”
Kristi Noem defended her decision on Tucker Carlson’s program in an attempt to restore her political image. Tucker pressed the governor, inferring that she may be bowing to special interests such as The South Dakota Chamber of Commerce who lobbied against her signing of the bill:
Governor Noem sent the bill back to the South Dakota state legislature where suggested changes are expected to be made by “veto day,” March 29th.
