South Dakota transgender inmate policy newest kink in $650M prison debate

Spotlight on gender dysphoria contracts, hormone therapy policies on eve of special session; governor says his hands are tied

Idaho inmate Adree Edmo identifies as transgender and was the center of a court case involving access to gender therapy in 2020. (Black and Pink / Facebook.com)

PIERRE — South Dakota’s Speaker of the House says he will not support a proposal for a new prison after discovering the Department of Corrections is paying a gender dysphoria consultant to assess if state inmates are transgender.

But Gov. Larry Rhoden says while he agrees with his potential rival in the 2026 GOP primary race, his hands are tied until the federal courts make a ruling on a Trump-order ban on correctional inmates transitioning to genders not aligned with their legal sex while in custody.

Gov. Rhoden, lawmakers promised new prison won't face cost overruns