Article lists South Dakota last among each U.S. state in safety for LGBT+ individuals

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – A website focused on home security and community safety, Safe Home, recently released rankings of each U.S. state and the District of Columbia based on safety for LGBT+ community members. The list and accompanying article have spread around social media this week, and particularly in South Dakota. The Mount Rushmore State ranks dead last according to Safe Home’s criteria.

Rapid City Native American Two-Spirit Activist Monique “Muffie” Mousseau agrees.

“The Governor’s office, until they educate themselves with all of these beautiful, wonderful colors and why they exist,” Mousseau said while holding up a pride flag-themed notebook. “I really don’t feel like this state is going to move up the ranks.”

Mousseau’s organization, Uniting Resilience, advocates for members of the Native American LGBT+ community and environmental issues. Since marrying her wife 18 years ago, she said she has seen positive and negative moments for people like her in South Dakota, but there has not been a significant increase or decrease in quality of life.

Safe Home’s criteria for ranking states in terms of safety for LGBT+ individuals include state laws and recent hate crime statistics. South Dakota reported 16 sexual orientation-related hate crimes and one gender orientation-related hate crime from 2020 through 2022 per the Department of Justice.

Particular laws that Safe Home’s writers cited as reasons for South Dakota’s bottom ranking and “F” grade include including criminalization of exposing others to HIV, preferential adoption policies favoring heterosexual couples, bans on individuals using opposite-sex bathrooms in public schools, and bans on gender transition medical care for children.

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