S.D. lawmakers OK transgender bathroom limits
USA TODAY NETWORKDana Ferguson, (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Argus Leader5:58 p.m. EST February 16, 2016
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota is one signature away from becoming the first state in the country to enact a law that would bar transgender students from using bathrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities of the gender with which they identify if it doesn't correspond with their biological sex.
The South Dakota Senate approved the bill Tuesday on a 20-15 vote, moving it to Republican Gov.Dennis Daugaard's desk for his approval. Daugaard has said the measure seems like a good idea and would listen to recorded testimony before making up his mind on whether to make the bill law.
Daugaard also said that as far as he was aware he had not met a transgender person and likely would not do so before deciding on the measure, so as to ensure objectivity in his decision.
Under the proposal, transgender students who don't want to use the facilities based on their biological gender would have to submit a request to their school district for accommodation in separate facilities.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/27/transgender-rights-bathroom-battles/3282141/
Republican state Rep. Fred Deutsch, the bill's author, has said the measure is designed to ensure the privacy of transgender and non-transgender students in the most private areas in schools. He said the federal government has overstepped its authority in drafting regulations that require school districts to accommodate transgender students and they should receive "reasonable accommodations."
Transgender advocacy groups and the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota have opposed the bill, saying it would allow for discrimination against transgender students.
The state's House of Representatives approved the measure on a 58-10 vote last month.
The U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice have sided with transgender students in saying that school districts that require them to use a separate restroom are in violation of Title IX rules.
A handful of school districts across the country have faced legal challenges to similar policies that bar transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms of the gender with which they identify.
S.D. lawmakers OK transgender bathroom limits
USA TODAY NETWORKDana Ferguson, (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Argus Leader5:58 p.m. EST February 16, 2016
TWEET 1LINKEDIN 22COMMENTEMAILMORE
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — South Dakota is one signature away from becoming the first state in the country to enact a law that would bar transgender students from using bathrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities of the gender with which they identify if it doesn't correspond with their biological sex.
The South Dakota Senate approved the bill Tuesday on a 20-15 vote, moving it to Republican Gov.Dennis Daugaard's desk for his approval. Daugaard has said the measure seems like a good idea and would listen to recorded testimony before making up his mind on whether to make the bill law.
Daugaard also said that as far as he was aware he had not met a transgender person and likely would not do so before deciding on the measure, so as to ensure objectivity in his decision.
Under the proposal, transgender students who don't want to use the facilities based on their biological gender would have to submit a request to their school district for accommodation in separate facilities.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/27/transgender-rights-bathroom-battles/3282141/
Republican state Rep. Fred Deutsch, the bill's author, has said the measure is designed to ensure the privacy of transgender and non-transgender students in the most private areas in schools. He said the federal government has overstepped its authority in drafting regulations that require school districts to accommodate transgender students and they should receive "reasonable accommodations."
Transgender advocacy groups and the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota have opposed the bill, saying it would allow for discrimination against transgender students.
The state's House of Representatives approved the measure on a 58-10 vote last month.
The U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice have sided with transgender students in saying that school districts that require them to use a separate restroom are in violation of Title IX rules.
A handful of school districts across the country have faced legal challenges to similar policies that bar transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms of the gender with which they identify.
S.D. lawmakers OK transgender bathroom limits