In a joint statement from the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, both bishops call for the state legislature to pass Senate Bill 166. If passed, the bill would revise provisions regarding hate crimes in South Dakota to include our LGBTQ, non-binary, and Native American Two-Spirit Siblings.
Bishop Constanze Hagmaier of the South Dakota Synod and Bishop Jonathan Folts of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota voice their support for SB 166 stating that, “[o]ur Christian faith has taught us the values of love, inclusion, as well as caring for and protecting our most vulnerable. We strive to live out these values by loving God and loving our neighbors.”
The bill is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow, Thursday, February 11, beginning at 8 AM.
To read the full letter, click here.
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Media Contact:
Sawyer Vanden Heuvel
Director of Communications, South Dakota Synod
605-274-5035
news@sdsynod.org
