Recently, there has been an influx of bills introduced by members of the North Dakota legislature that are showing a troubling trend of transphobia. Some have yet to gain traction, while others may have some support, which is cause for concern.

Senate Bill 2199 proposed a mandate that public-funded institutions, such as schools, could only refer to people using “sex determined at birth.” In essence, this bill was aimed at making it so people would have to be referred to by their birth assigned pronouns, and not preferred pronouns, specifically in schools. The bill even proposed putting a $1500 fine on any violation. Fortunately, this bill was voted down.

House Bill 1522 also proposed banning referring to students by their preferred pronouns in schools. Further, this bill expounded on conspiracy theories of students wanting to use litter boxes in school and proposed banning students from identifying as “animals other than human”. 

The list goes on and on of bills holding transphobic ideas. House Bills 1473 and 1522 would restrict trans students from using bathrooms associated with the gender not assigned to them at birth. House Bills 1249 and 1489 would prohibit trans athletes from competing in sports aligned with their gender. House Bill 1205 aims to restrict “sexually explicit books” in bookstores and libraries, including “gender identity” as a possible violation, requiring libraries to remove books with images involving gender identity by library user request. Similarly, House Bill 1333 proposes restricting children from attending drag shows.

What this mountain of transphobic bills shows is just how out of touch some of our legislators are and how willing they are to waste valuable legislative time with archaic ideas. 

It’s important to know about these bills as soon as they are proposed and spread awareness. Consider writing to a state representative or senator to express your concerns about these bills. If you are 18, you can avoid voting for senators or representatives who support transphobic bills, and if you are under 18 you can talk to your family members to ensure they know who they’re voting for. It’s up to our generation to speak out against these bigoted bills and make sure they don’t get any closer to becoming laws.