South Dakota
Vernon Renville Jr. was honored in Sisseton on Wednesday with a prayer service and a march, KELO reports. Renville was the co-founder of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Two-Spirited Society, the first organization of its kind in South Dakota. KELO notes:

The community remembered Renville Jr by coming together in prayer. Supporters gathered at the previous grounds of the historic Sisseton Indian Health Hospital, before making their way south right down Veterans Avenue. Leading the walk was Vernon Renville Sr. along with a group of close friends and relatives to sing Renville Jr’s favorite songs.

Between his loved ones and the group he started, the hope is to have this as an annual event to remember the man taking away from the community too soon.

Renville was shot and killed in November. Madville Times has a run-down of Renville’s life and legacy as a Two-Spirit activist.

South Dakota has its first out gay college athlete in Dakota Wesleyan University basketball player Jesse Taylor. Taylor told his story to Out Sports this week:

In the spring of my senior year of high school, I signed to play basketball with Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota.
My fears were completely wrong. My coach reassured me that this would not be an issue for him and that it will not be an issue for the team. He wouldn’t let that happen. I am very thankful to have a coach like him. Looking back, I should not have even thought twice about what he might think. He stresses family and that we are always there for each other no matter what.
Once my coach knew and I knew everything would be OK, I started telling other teammates. I figured news would spread I counted on it. Once again, there were no issues. We still workout together and go to the gym to get shots up like we did before. How they treat me has not changed. What has changed is my feeling of comfort around them. I am no longer walking on eggshells and pretending.

South Dakota’s marriage equality lawsuit has officially been disposed of. The Associated Press reports that a federal court has agreed with a South Dakota judge that the state’s law banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The implications of the case are limited due to the U.S. Supreme Court decision barring states from banning same-sex marriage. But, the decision in South Dakota means that attorneys can now attempt to recoup attorney fees and court costs from the state.

Wisconsin
Two gay real estate developers in New York, Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass, are under fire again for fundraising for anti-LGBT candidates. Early this year, community members launched a boycott of the couples’ gay-oriented hotels and resorts after hosting a fundraiser for Republican Ted Cruz. Last week, it was reported that the couple hosted a fundraiser for Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson, Gay City News reports:

Cruz and Johnson are associated with the Tea Party movement and are anti-LGBT. Both oppose same-sex marriage and both voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in 2013. ENDA, which barred employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, had broad support in polls. A host and guests at a fundraiser held by embattled real estate developers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass at their Central Park South penthouse donated at least $10,600 to Republican Ron Johnson, a right-wing US senator from Wisconsin who faces a 2016 challenge from Democrat Russ Feingold.
Reisner, who is gay, gave Johnson $2,700, the maximum allowed under federal election law. Reisner, who has otherwise largely supported Democrats, gave $2,700 to Hillary Clinton on June 15.

The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce was named the best LGBT chamber in the country, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:

The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce, a fast-growing organization formed in 2012, has won the top annual award from the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the organizations announcedThursday.
The Wisconsin group, which was started to to represent the state’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender business community, is the youngest chamber to ever receive the award, the national organization said.
“The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce has gone above and beyond to offer new opportunities to members and the community,” said Justin Nelson, founder of the national organization. Nelson said the Wisconsin chamber is a role model for its counterparts in other states and commended it for its innovative programs, events and training classes.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is running for president, announced his staff hirings in South Carolina which include an anti-LGBT book banning lawmaker, Pink News reports:

Republican Presidential wannabe Scott Walker has appointed a lawmaker to his campaign who slashed university budgets because they stock ‘gay-themed’ books….
However, the Republican made a surprising move this week – when he hired lawmaker Garry Smith to help lead his campaign in South Carolina…
State Rep. Smith rose to prominence last year – when he pushed through a bill massively slashing the budgets of two universities over ‘gay-themed’ books at the institutions.
The Republican authored a bill to cut $17,000 (£10,200) in funding from the University of South Carolina Upstate and $52,000 (£31,200) from the College of Charleston – because their libraries include lesbian author Alison Bechdel’s autobiography ‘Fun Home’, and radio textbook ‘Out Loud: The Best of Rainbow Radio’.

Iowa
Democratic candidates for president attended the Annual Iowa Wing Ding in Clear Lake on Friday, and a picture tweeted by NPR’s Don Gonyea went viral among misinformed conservative bloggers.

“Leave it to the Democrat party to include the Mexican flag and the rainbow LGBTQLMNOP+ flag at their Presidential forum in Iowa tonight,” Michael Strickland of Gateway Pundit wrote. “Right next to the POW-MIA flag. Looks like someone goofed up and accidentally included a few American flags, which I’m sure someone will find “offensive” and demand they be removed.”

Tom Tillison of the conservative Florida-based BizPac Review, wrote a piece about the Mexican flag as well, then the website pulled down the post when it was revealed that it was the Iowa flag displayed at the event, not the Mexican flag. Other conservative sites repeated the claim, including the Independent Sentinel.

One website did note the error. John S. Roberts writing for Young Conservatives, aped what he thinks is the Democratic Party line: “We support illegal aliens and immoral actions more than the average, workaday American. Illegals strengthen our communities, and homosexuality is natural.”
Roberts added:

Boy, do they know how to pander or what?
The POW/MIA flag is now considered offensive, as is the Confederate flag, but for some reason the Mexican flag and LGBT flag are cool.
Update (August 16): It appears the flag in question is the Iowa State flag, not the Mexican flag. We apologize for not catching this error by the source.

North Dakota
Fargo-Moorhead Pride was held last week. Valley View News put together a report about the festivities.

All the colors of the rainbow covered booths across Island Park as companies and organizations came out to support the Fargo LGBT community.
For 15 years, the Pride Committee has hosted a week of events. With the Supreme Courts decision to allow same-sex marriage, organizers say its just another reason to celebrate this year.
“Being gay in North Dakota is still something where, the state is coming along slowly and so for everyone to be able to come together and walk through the park and know that they’re supported by everyone and to celebrate that, that’s why we are here for this weekend,” says Christina Linstch, Pride Committee Volunteer Coordinator.

The Fargo Forum took a look back at the first Pride weekend in Fargo in 1984:

Thanks in large part to the recent Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage in North Dakota, all signs indicate that this year’s F-M Pride events will have an air of joy and relief.

It’ll be a far cry from the city’s first recognized gay pride week in 1984, which sparked an uproar against the city’s then-mayor, Jon Lindgren

The Forum also took a look at what issues are becoming the most important to the area’s LGBT community:

The year has been a big one for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, marked perhaps most significantly by the June decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down state bans on same-sex marriage.

But activists say many issues still need attention and one area primed to receive it is health care for transgender individuals.
“After marriage equality, the next movement in LGBT rights will be trans health care, because there’s been so much outcry for it,” said Faye Seidler, a trans activist from Fargo who promotes education and awareness about the transgender community in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota.

WDAY talked to come attendees and community leaders about Pride week:

If you walk down Broadway in downtown Fargo, you see streets lined with rainbow flags. A closer look reveals a sidewalk art love montage. Not exactly common sites for this region.

Josh Boschee/F-M Pride Planning Chair, “It really shows that while sometimes people think North Dakota is more conservative than it is really, there’s opportunities for everyone. The community celebrates every person in a variety of ways.”

The North Dakota Department of Health is conducting a study to see if state agencies are adequately serving LGBT victims of domestic violence and rape, the Forum reports:

The North Dakota Department of Health said this week it is conducting a survey to see if agencies which support victims of domestic violence and rape are doing enough to meet the needs of LGBT people.

“It is important for the health department to learn where and what the gaps are in reaching out and providing services to victims of violence from the LGBTQ+ community,” Mary Dasovick, director of the department’s division of injury prevention and control, said in a statement.