South Dakota Goes Transphobic

South Dakota just made history, y’all, but not in a good way. This week, South Dakota lawmakers became the first in the nation to pass a bill outlawing transgender public school students from using restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identities.

You know, because trans students don’t wanna just pee or anything.

The bill was approved by the state Senate on Tuesday and now awaits the signature of Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard who said, in his best hillbilly, ignorant voice, “This seems like a good idea.”

Yeah, discrimination based on sexual orientation is always good, especially when it’s done to kids!

The measure mandates that students must use the restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their "physical condition of being male or female as determined by a person's chromosomes and anatomy as identified at birth," not the gender with which they identify.

Oh, but to be fair, this new piece of Hate Legislation does provide that, with written parental permission, the “affected” students may request a "reasonable accommodation ... that does not impose an undue hardship on a school district," such as use of a single-occupancy restroom. 

God knows you don’t wanna inconvenience the school.

The Transgender Law Center lambasted the bill's passage and said it believes the legislation violates federal law:

"Every single child, including transgender youth, should have the opportunity to succeed and be treated fairly by our schools and elected officials. If the governor signs the measure, it will endanger students and open up South Dakota schools to legal chaos, liability, and the loss of millions in federal funds."

Democrats argued that passing the bill might trigger the federal government to pull money from public schools, and may result in a tourism boycott.

But, really, who cares about that? What about the continued emotional pain for trans youth, being told once again that they are not who they are, that they cannot be themselves, even when using a bathroom? This is just another form of segregation and haven’t we already seen how that works?

If this law goes forward and if the governor sign sit, I feel like those kids, who are already made to feel different, who may suffer bullying simply for being trans, will withdraw; they might drop out of school; they might feel hopeless; there might be suicides.

All over the right to pee. Is a life worth it?

Huffington Post Queer Voices