South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has terminated her state’s Department of Health contract with a transgender activist group amid a controversy involving an upcoming “gender identity summit” due to be held next month.
Noem’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that the contract between the South Dakota Department of Health and The Transformation Project was immediately terminated. The Daily Signal first reported on the move.
“South Dakota does not support this organization’s efforts, and state government should not be participating in them,” Noem, a Republican, said in a statement. “We should not be dividing our youth with radical ideologies. We should treat every single individual equally as a human being.”
Noem’s office said the contract with “The Transformation Project” had been signed without Noem’s knowledge, and the organization was found to be out of compliance with the contract, including its failure to submit required quarterly reports for two consecutive quarters. The Transformation Project did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
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The termination came after The Daily Signal and Alpha News reported on The Transformation Project’s upcoming “Gender Identity Summit” hosted by a South Dakota health care provider.
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The summit, scheduled for January, included sessions on “Transgender Cultural Competency” and “Learning to Address Implicit Bias Towards LGBTQ+ & 2S Patients.”
Other sessions included how to create a “gender inclusive practice” and “How My Journey as a Transgender Provider Has Impacted Patient Care.”
The Transformation Project was one of a number of groups profiled in a 2020 Washington Post article about how South Dakota’s “budding transgender movement is taking on conservative lawmakers — and winning.”
The Project has also hosted events during which participants ritually “burn” their old names or pronouns. The group’s website says its mission is to “support and empower transgender individuals and their families while educating communities in SD and the surrounding region about gender identity and expression.”
According to a letter from the state, the Project was hired to create a community health care worker (CHW) program. CHWs are health workers who “serve as a bridge between communities, health care systems and state health departments,” according to the CDC. Along with that program were requirements to create a surrounding infrastructure, participate in a conference, collect and share data to evaluate the program and provide success stories. It was also obligated to provide quarterly reports.
“The Transformation Project, Inc. failed to perform these obligations under the contract. Accordingly, the state finds you in material breach of the contract,” the notice from South Dakota’s Department of Health said.