SD Legislator Wants Inspections of Transgender HS Athletes Genitals

Bend over, please.

Those are the words that transgendered athletes may hear if Republican South Dakota legislator Roger Hunt has his way.

"This is South Dakota," Hunt told the Rapid City Journal. "We haven't adopted the East Coast culture. We haven't adopted the West Coast culture. We maintain our own culture."

A controversy arose over how to determine a student's gender. Last year the South Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors enacted policy that allow students to decide which gender they want to call themselves. This would determine which gender group they would compete with.

But Hunt and other legislators have taken issue with that policy.

"The proposal from Rep. Roger Hunt, R-Brandon," reported the Rapid City Journal, "would rely on official birth certificates and visual inspections for determining gender rather than allowing people to decide and declare their gender on their own."

"He said gender is determined at conception and the transgender debate is riding the gay marriage wave."

"The current policy,' ThinkProgress noted, "requires that parents notify the school of their child's gender identity and the school collects information from the family, such as parents, friends and teachers, that the student's gender identity is different than what is listed on their birth certificate or school registration records and receives written verification from a health care professional who can attest to the child's consistent gender identification and expression."