The Ball Is In The Governor’s Court

In South Dakota the clock is running out for the governor to veto the bill or will he let it become law without his signature? Celebrities speak out...

Laverne Cox Urges Action on South Dakota’s Transgender BillTime
By Sarah Begley
February 24, 2016

"We should be creating safer, nurturing environments for our children"

Laverne Cox has weighed in on the South Dakota bill that would prohibit schools from providing bathroom accommodations for transgender students, sharing a message on Instagram and calling on the governor to veto the bill.

Cox, the actress known for her role in Orange is the New Black and for her activism on transgender issues, shared a photo of Thomas Lewis, a South Dakota student who spoke out about his experience at a high school where he was required to use a bathroom based on his sex at birth, not the gender he identifies with.
“Let’s urge the South Dakota governor to veto H.B. 1008, the bill that ostracizes trans students and targets them for even more harassment and bullying,” Cox wrote on Instagram. “Studies show that 78% of trans students experience harassment or bullying in school and nearly 50% attempt suicide. We should be creating safer, nurturing environments for our children not more hostile ones. Sign the petition to urge the South Dakota governor to veto this bill.”

And Caitlyn also speaks out against the bill.

Caitlyn Jenner Advocates for Transgender-Friendly Bathrooms
Time
By Eliana Dockterman
February 23, 2016

A South Dakota bill would force trans children to use the bathrooms that correspond to their sex at birth

Caitlyn Jenner took to social media Monday to pressure South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard to veto a bill that would force transgender children to use school bathrooms and locker rooms that are consistent with their “chromosomes and anatomy” at birth.

I have a feeling that the governor is going to wash his hands on the bill and let it go into law without his signature.

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This afternoon I am giving the second in three lectures on gender variant students in the Multicultural Education classes. Yesterday's class went well and the students asked a number of questions at the end, many of them legal questions like what do you do if the parents are against the child's transition. Unfortunately there is no set  answer, it depends upon the students age and there is no fixed age that you can give.