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South Dakota Gov. Rhoden signed HB1184 codifying binary sex definitions and ending state recognition of transgender people

On March 30, 2026, South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden signed HB1184, "Define man and woman throughout the state," into law after the Legislature passed it by votes of 57-9 in the House and 30-4 in the Senate. The law establishes binary statutory definitions of "man," "woman," "male," and "female" based on reproductive biology at birth throughout South Dakota code and prohibits the use of state funds for anything contrary to those definitions. It removes legal recognition of transgender and nonbinary people across state government.

Jurisdiction
South Dakota
Location
Pierre, South Dakota

Abuses documented

Actors

Governor Larry Rhoden signed House Bill 1184, titled "Define man and woman throughout the state," into law on March 30, 2026. The South Dakota Legislature had passed the measure by votes of 57-9 in the House and 30-4 in the Senate, with House Speaker Rep. Jon Hansen serving as prime sponsor. The law codifies binary definitions of "man," "woman," "male," and "female" grounded in reproductive biology at birth throughout South Dakota law.

Beyond defining the terms, HB1184 prohibits the use of state funding for anything contrary to those definitions. Taken together, the definitional mandate and the funding bar remove legal recognition of transgender and nonbinary people across state government, requiring state records, programs, and expenditures to conform to a fixed binary conception of sex.

The law is part of a wave of state legislation enacted in 2025 and 2026 that redefines sex in binary biological terms and withdraws legal recognition from transgender and nonbinary residents. Civil rights advocates, including the ACLU of South Dakota, warned that the measure has the potential to erase transgender and nonbinary people from the state and to jeopardize government contracts with organizations that do not adopt its definitions.

Why we recorded this

South Dakota HB1184 codifies binary definitions of "man," "woman," "male," and "female" based on reproductive biology at birth throughout state law and bars state funding for anything contrary to them, removing legal recognition of transgender and nonbinary people across state government. It erodes the equal protection of law and the principle that government does not disadvantage people on the basis of identity.

Sources

  1. Gov. Rhoden Signs South Dakota Values Bills into Law — South Dakota Governor's Office primary accessed July 10, 2026
  2. 2026 House Bill 1184 — South Dakota Legislature primary accessed July 10, 2026
  3. Lawmakers aiming to define 'male,' 'female' and more in codified law — South Dakota Public Broadcasting secondary accessed July 10, 2026

See also