South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard
on Tuesday vetoed a bill that sought to prohibit students in public
schools from using the bathroom that does not conform to their gender
at birth.
In a press release, Daugaard, a
Republican, said that the House Bill 1008 “removes the ability of
local school districts to determine the most appropriate
accommodations for their individual students and replaces that
flexibility with a state mandate.”
He added that the proposal “invites
conflict and litigation, diverting energy and resources from the
education of the children of this state.”
“This law will create a certain
liability for school districts and the state in an area where no such
liability exists today,” Daugaard said.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
cheered the move.
“Governor Daugaard chose to do the
right thing and veto this outrageous legislation attacking
transgender kids,” Griffin said. “Today, the voices of fairness
and equality prevailed, and these students' rights and dignity
prevailed against overwhelming odds and vicious opponents in the
state legislature. Unfortunately, another anti-LGBT bill is still
pending in the South Dakota Legislature – and we must keep up the
fight to ensure today’s veto holds and this other odious bill never
makes it to Governor Daugaard’s desk.”