This week, Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed into law House Bill 1217, legislation to reform North Dakota’s outdated laws that unfairly criminalized and stigmatized people living with HIV.

Rejecting HCR 3013 was the right thing to do. This resolution was a bigoted and unpopular view on same-sex marriage and an affront to queer people in our state.

This case isn’t just about enforcing North Dakota’s ban on gender-affirming care. It’s about the harmful rhetoric surrounding the question of whether providers should be allowed to discriminate against a broader group of people, including trans adults.

We expect poll workers to be educated and trained so that trans voters are not disenfranchised because of administrative or other barriers at polling places.

This lawsuit is little more than political grandstanding and is just another attempt to erase transgender people from society.

We want to see North Dakota policymakers focus on the real issues that really matter – not stoke the ‘culture wars’ at the expense of our civil rights.

The ACLU of North Dakota, Gender Justice, North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, Planned Parenthood and Prairie Action North Dakota have teamed up to promote trans visibility in an effort to enhance awareness and rights for transgender, nonbinary, intersex and Two Spirit people.

The ACLU of North Dakota is honored to support the plaintiffs challenging this unconstitutional and illegal intrusion into the rights of adolescents, their parents, and the medical providers who care for them.

Despite what some politicians think – both here in North Dakota and throughout the country – drag is not a crime.