Gov: Transgender meeting 'helped me see things through their eyes'

Gov. Dennis Daugaard said meeting with students "put a human face" on the impact a so-called transgender bathroom bill could have if he approves it.

In his first experience knowingly meeting with transgender people, Daugaard spoke for about half an hour Tuesday with three transgender people, including two students.

And while both sides entered the meeting a little nervous, Daugaard and two of the transgender residents left with a sense of understanding for one another.

"It helped me see things through their eyes a little better and see more of their perspective," Daugaard said.

Thomas Lewis, 18, and Kendra Heathscott, 22, were involved in the meeting and said afterward that the governor was kind and receptive in hearing their stories.

Heathscott, who knew Daugaard from his work at the Children's Home Society, said Daugaard doesn't seem as tall as he did back then, but was just as kind.

“You could tell that he’s gone out of his way to get educated about transgender folks,” Heathscott said. “He has the same strong heart that I was aware of when I was younger.”

Lewis said he was pleased with the meeting and tried to explain that the lawmakers who approved the measure are out of touch with students like him, who just want fair treatment.

“I tried to bring home that at the end of the day we’re all human and we all need to use the bathroom because that’s what people do,” Lewis said. “And I really think that the governor understood that.”

The governor's office and the Center for Equality said the meeting was not publicized or open to the media or others to ensure the privacy of those involved. And the gathering comes the same day the governor's office received the bill, starting the clock on Daugaard's opportunity to act. The governor's spokeswoman, Kelsey Pritchard, confirmed the receipt Tuesday morning and said Daugaard has five business days to sign or veto the bill. That makes the deadline March 1.

If the governor doesn't act, it will become law without his signature.

If the bill were approved, South Dakota would become the first state to implement such a law.

Daugaard said he'll take the comments from transgender students into consideration, but he said he also wants to be open to all sides and will consider archived testimony before making his decision

"I have my own set of values and in the end I'll make my own decisions," Daugaard said.

Schwan: Transgender debate gets state off track

Earlier in the day Tuesday, LGBT and civil rights groups gathered at the Capitol to deliver binders filled with tens of thousands of signatures opposing the bill.

Representatives from the Center for Equality, American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, the National Center for Transgender Equality and  LGBT group Human Rights Campaign spoke with lawmakers about a set of bills they believe could negatively affect the state's transgender residents.

"With one stroke of his pen, Gov. Daugaard can veto this bill and stop this reckless legislation," said Hope Errico Wisneski, regional spokeswoman for Human Rights Campaign.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW @bydanaferguson's twitter feed from the Capitol.

The meeting comes after Daugaard said earlier this month that he had not met a transgender person and felt he didn't need to before deciding whether to approve or veto HB1008. The Republican governor has said he'll consult with supporters and opponents and will review archived testimony before making up his mind.

Caitlyn Jenner asks Daugaard to veto transgender bathroom bill

The bill would bar transgender students in South Dakota public schools from using bathrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities of the gender with which they identify. Transgender students who don't want to use bathrooms based on their biological sex would be required to submit a request to their school for a "reasonable accommodation."

Supporters, including conservative Christian groups such as Family Heritage Alliance Action, say the measure enhances the privacy of all students, while opponents including celebrity Caitlyn Jenner say it's discriminatory.

The bill's author, Rep. Fred Deutsch, R-Florence, said if Daugaard signs the bill, South Dakota would be the only state to require “special accommodations” for transgender students. He said having the separate facilities is a compassionate option.

"We have to help them become the people God wants them to be," he said. "So this is a way to help them.

“For as long as we’ve been a state we’ve had boys in the boys' room and girls in the girls' room. So this does nothing to change that. It just provides these special accommodations for them.”

Follow Dana Ferguson on Twitter @bydanaferguson

Gov. Daugaard, you met a transgender person: me