Republican state Rep. Tony Randolph introduced a new bill Thursday that proposes an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ measures, including outlawing same-sex marriage, legalizing conversion therapy, and more.

House Bill 1215 is the fourth and most comprehensive anti-LGBTQ+ bill introduced in South Dakota this month. The other recent bills — HB 1057, SB 88, and SB 93 — all specifically aim to strip the rights of transgender youth under the age of 16. HB 1215 goes much further.

Under HB 1215, the state would not “permit any form of marriage that does not involve a man and a woman” or allow counties to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It would also legalize conversion therapy, prohibit the state from recognizing LGBTQ+ people as a protected class from discrimination, as well as ban “drag queen storytime” at libraries or schools. It would also outlaw the ability for trans or gender non-conforming people to change the gender marker or pronouns on their IDs or birth certificates. Finally, HB 1215 proposes prohibiting tax dollars to fund gender affirming surgeries.

LGBTQ+ advocates have criticized the bill as an unprecedented attack on LGBTQ+ rights. “I've monitored state anti-LGBT legislation for five years now and I'm not kidding when I say that a South Dakota lawmaker just dropped the broadest, most aggressively anti-#LGBT bill I've seen,” Ryan Thoreson, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, wrote in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Libby Skarin, the policy director of the ACLU of South Dakota, called the bill an “all out assault on the LGBTQ and two spirit communities.” Kara Ingelhart, a staff attorney at Lambda Legal, also critiqued the bill, telling NewNowNext, “The principles within are trying to erase LGBTQ people from public life.”

HB 1215 follows a larger wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently introduced in South Dakota. On Wednesday, the House passed HB 1057, a bill that would ban medical treatments for transgender youth. Earlier this week, the Senate proposed two additional bills that would further strip transgender minors of their rights; SB 88 would require mental health providers to out kids to their parents if they mentioned experiencing gender dysphoria, while SB 93 would allow parents to refuse consent to any health care service that would affirm their kid’s transgender identity.

If you are having thoughts about suicide, you get confidential help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.

The Trans Lifeline is a trans-led hotline that provides resources and support for transgender individuals in need. Contact the line at 877-565-8860 (US) or 877-330-6366 (Canada).

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