Living in Kansas City and being from South Dakota, many people ask me if I make it back to South Dakota often to see my family. The unfortunate answer is no, I don’t make it back there as often as I would like. It’s not because of the distance to travel, not because of not being able to get off of work but because, in many ways, I’m not able to be me in South Dakota. 

South Dakota lacks many rights/protection for LGBTQ+ people. Currently, there are no anti-discrimination laws for sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression and conversion therapy is still legal for LGBTQ+ youth. In 2017, Gov. Daugaard signed a law allowing taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to deny services and child placement to LGBTQ+ families out of religious objections. South Dakota’s hate crimes law also does not protect sexual orientation or sexual identity, a LGBTQ+ person could be fired from their job. 

Albeit, I’m not someone to flaunt anything in front of people, but in the current climate we are in within this country; it is very worrisome. A state that I had lived in for 27 years, a state that I paid taxes in, a state that I have given back to doesn’t care about me. It’s hard to want to come back to something that doesn’t think that you have the same rights as everyone else just because of who I love. 

Now, even though South Dakota is stuck on hate, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t good people that live there. I have many friends and family that support me and other LGBTQ+ people. 

However, with so much hate in our country right now, and around the world, I am still afraid to completely be myself.