A new South Dakota policy prohibits public university faculty and staff from listing their preferred gender pronouns in official correspondence, while also preventing Native American employees from listing their tribal affiliations in a state with a history of conflict with tribes.
Two University of South Dakota faculty members, Megan Red Shirt-Shaw and her husband, John Little, have regularly included their choice of gender pronouns and tribal affiliations in their emails.
They both received written warnings from the university in March, citing a policy adopted in December by the South Dakota Board of Regents.
"I was told that I had five days to remove my tribal affiliation and pronouns," Little said in an email to the Associated Press. Otherwise, Little would face "suspension or immediate termination," he said.
The policy, backed by the board as a branding and communications policy, followed a letter from Republican Gov. Kristi Noem sent to the regents criticizing "liberal ideologies" on college campuses. It called for the board to ban drag shows on campuses and "remove all references to preferred pronouns in school materials."
All nine voting board members were appointed by Noem. All of South Dakota's nine indigenous tribes have voted to ban Noem from their lands since she accused tribal leaders of benefiting from drug cartels and neglecting children.
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota said it has heard complaints from faculty and students at the University of South Dakota who are concerned about the new policy.
The ACLU is considering the next steps to address it.
