Deutsch Plans No Potty-Panic Bill for Noem--What Changed?
I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. If radical right-wing theocrat Fred Deutsch says he won’t use his triumphant return to the Legislature to push an anti-transgender potty bill, I should just say, “Thank you, Fred!” and let it be. I should be thrilled that I don’t have to waste the entire Legislative Session beating down (again) stereotypes and paranoia and outright lies about my transgender neighbors and can focus instead on the budget, nepotism, and crony corruption.
But something doesn’t ring right here in Deutsch’s denial of an opportunity for Kristi Noem to fulfill one of the key fundagelical promises on which she campaigned. An issue that Deutsch and his extremist colleagues saw as an urgent matter of child safety two years ago suddenly requires no Legislative attention:
“I’ve not heard of anybody else that’s going to bring a bathroom bill. I hope not,” said Deutsch, who is coming back to the House after deciding not run for re-election in 2016 [“‘Bathroom Bill’ Sponsor Won’t Try Again During 2019 Session,” AP via Education Week, 2018.12.07].
I don’t recall in 2015 and 2016 hearing Deutsch and friends emphasize that the primary threat was federal overreach; they insisted that children were in peril of peeping pervs. In 2017 and 2018, Deutsch and the radical right didn’t cite the ascent of Trump as the reason they could hold off on potty-panic legislation; they said they’d wait until mean old veto-crank Daugaard would be replaced by someone more amenable to their fundie agenda and press a bill right away in 2019.
Now with the malleable fundie wingnut governor they wanted, Deutsch and the fundies change their story. They could get everything they want from Kristi Noem, but they’re backing off. What—did the Chamber of Commerce finally get through to the yahoos and convince them not to tank our tourism industry?
Read more: http://dakotafreepress.com/2018/12/07/deutsch-plans-no-potty-panic-bill-for-noem-what-changed/