This week read about Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta of Pennsylvania getting married to a man, and South Dakota signing an anti-trans athlete bill into law.
Gay State Representative Gets Married
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announced his marriage to Dr. Matthew Jordan-Miller during the first weekend of February.
"Forever sounds pretty good," Kenyatta wrote on Twitter.
Jordan-Miller is the director of Justice and Belonging at the University of Pennsylvania’s design school.
The couple said that anyone who wanted to send gifts could instead make donations to the Trevor Project and the North Broad Renaissance.
The pair started off in a long-distance relationship. They met each other on social media in 2016 after Kenyatta saw that Jordan-Miller was highlighted as an LGBT leader to follow. He followed Jordan-Miller on Instagram where the two would mutually engage with each other until they began their relationship.
Kenyatta proposed first in July 2020, Jordan-Miller then counter proposed in March 2021.
Kenyatta is currently running for a position in the U.S. Senate, the Advocate reports. He announced his campaign in February 2021 and if he wins, he’ll be the first gay U.S. Senator. Kenyatta has already made history as the first Black and gay elected official in Philadelphia. He was also the second gay official in the state’s legislature.
First Anti-Trans Athlete Bill of the Year Signed Into Law
South Dakota State Capitol. Credit: Jake DeGroot.
On Feb. 3, Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill that bans trans girls and women from participating on female sports teams. This is the first bill of its kind to be signed in 2022, but the 10th overall.
"This bill has been an important priority for a lot of the people behind me," Noem said at a press conference.
The bill applies to all state-accredited schools, public and private.
Previously, Noem signed executive orders that stated only those who are assigned female at birth can play on female sports teams. Noem argues that these rules protect women in sports.
Trans advocates say that these bills are a solution to a non-existing problem, according to NBC, and that they have the right to the same opportunities as cis people.
"All kids should be supported — by their families, their schools and their communities. South Dakota has turned its back on kids who are just trying to be kids," said Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.
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