The success or failure of a transgender bill sent to the office of the South Dakotan governor could impact its $3.8 million tourism industry. The proposed bill says that transgender students in South Dakota should use public toilets that are aligned with their chromosomes and anatomy acquired at birth or seek other accommodation in a school. With a vote of 20-15, South Dakotan Legislators passed this bill, effectively sending to the office of Governor Dennis Daugaard for final approval or sudden veto. As a response, opponents of the bill outside the Mount Rushmore state announced that they would no longer avail of the state's vaunted tourism features if the bill is passed.
According to the Argus Leader, some of the 13.8 million tourists who frequent South Dakota tweeted and posted on their social media sites that they would cancel their trips should the bill succeed. One of the more vocal protesters, Matthew Barcus, coordinator of sexual and gender diversity at Pennsylvania's Bloomburg University, made a plea to his alma mater the University of South Dakota: oppose the bill publicly or forefeit his donations.
Meanwhile, South Dakota industry officials and businessmen alike have expressed skepticism about the supposed financial backlash caused by the tourism boycott of transgender supporters. Some have called the move "a bullying tactic."
Discrimination is one of the core issues that lie at the controversy surrounding the bill. Accoring to the Pop Herald, the bill was prompted by a recent federal ruling that said that prohibition of a person from using the bathroom of the gender he identifies with is a form of discrimination. Arguments currently fly back and forth between the bill's opponents and its supporters. Those who champion the bill say it protects student privacy, while those who stand against it say it exposes vulnerable children to bullying and bigotry.
CNN says that the governor's office has issued a statement saying it will meet with representatives from both sides, such as the Center for Equality, before making a final decision.
