Kristi Noem ((Kristi Noem)), the beautiful governor of South Dakota, made a splash at the just-past annual national conservative convention and, along with Florida Gov. DeSantis, is seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Yet, she blocked a bill on Monday that would have disallowed biological men from participating in women’s sports.
The South Dakota Legislature sent Noem the “Equity in Women’s Sports Act,” which would ban men from participating in women’s sports in South Dakota from kindergarten through college, including a mechanism to verify the biological sex of student-athletes and allow legal remedies for anyone who violates the potential law.
Noem sent the bill back to the Legislature Monday for a major change to a veto message. Under the change she wants to make, it would allow biological males to compete in women’s sports at the college level, or including the basic Education level, and eliminate penalties for violating the rule. In essence, Noem’s changes would have rendered the law ineffective.
Noem cited a provision in the state constitution that allows bills that are “in error of style or form” to be returned to the state legislature, a procedure that functions in the same way as a veto, but Noem disavowed her use of the veto. The South Dakota House and Senate are expected to begin the process of voting down vetoes in the coming days.
Noem came under fire from Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who tried at least three times on his show to blame the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for his refusal to sign a bill protecting women’s sports, fearing a lawsuit against the bill from the NCAA. Noem tried to convince the public that the NCAA was wrong to require participating sports teams to allow transgender athletes to compete.
According to media reports, Noem’s legal advisers are involved in interests with Sanford Medical Center, which treats minors for gender reassignment, and state lawmakers are concerned.
Carlson said of Noem, “She’s being bullied by business interests, and we need leaders with courage, and Noem opposes bills that work to prevent biological men from competing in women’s sports. ”
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