A bill that restricts transgender students’ access to restrooms is headed to South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s desk. Photo by Getty ImagesSouth Dakota would become the first state to restrict transgender students’ access to restrooms in public schools whether the governor approves a bill passed by the state Senate Tuesday.
The bill would require transgender students in public schools to only use public restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their sex at birth. Schools would also own to provide “fair accommodation” for transgender students,such as single-person restrooms or “controlled use” of staff restrooms.
The Senate voted 20-15 to send the bill to Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who previously expressed support for it. Daugaard said last week that he would study the current legislation in detail before making a decision. Advocates say the law is meant to ensure the privacy of students and “preserve the innocence of our young people.”Opponents such as the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota and the Human Rights Campaign own called on Daugaard to veto the bill, and claiming it discriminates against vulnerable adolescents and may lead to bullying. “History has never looked kindly upon those who attack the basic civil rights of their fellow Americans,and history will not treat kindly those who support this discriminatory measure,” Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin said in a statement.
Some own also questioned the legislation’s legality: federal officials own said that banning students from restrooms that match their gender identity is prohibited under the Title IX anti-discrimination law.
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Source: wnyc.org