Twitter account behind death threat to lawmaker deactivated amid investigation

Account threatened to kill Republican lawmaker and his family following passage of transgender legislation

PIERRE – The Twitter account that was the source of a death threat against Rep. Fred Deutsch has been deactivated following the opening of a criminal investigation into the incident.

The account, @vannieluvsu, replied to a Tweet from Deutsch in which he and other lawmakers were pictured toasting the signing of House Bill 1080. That bill bans treatments for minors that allow them to undergo procedures or take hormones that transition them from a gender other than their biological sex.

Critics of the measure say it’s anti-transgender by denying medical treatment to youths who are suffering from gender dysphoria – a condition in which a person does not feel at place with their biological sex and instead identify as the opposite gender.

Similar measures are being enacted around the country in red states, a reaction to a surge in youths who are identifying as transgender.

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