One of the most horrific anti-transgender bills in the country will move before South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard for consideration as early as today.

House Bill 1008 forces transgender students to use a separate bathroom from all other students and prohibits schools from having supportive policies treating them the same as other students. If Governor Dennis Daugaard signs it into law, South Dakota will be the first state to pass this shameful attack on transgender students, but trust me: It won’t end there.

Anti-LGBTQ lawmakers are strong-arming more than 100 anti-LGBTQ bills in legislatures across the country, but their ground zero? South Dakota, where our opponents are experimenting with a slew of new legislation—like HB 1008—that would legalize attacks on LGBTQ people than are more heinous than we ever thought possible.

HB 1008 means real consequences for South Dakota, there’s no doubt. HB 1008 is nothing more than our opponents’ litmus test—and if they succeed in South Dakota, they won’t waste a second in pushing it in legislatures across the country.

This bill must be stopped before it can inflict irreparable damage on transgender students in South Dakota—and LGBTQ Americans nationwide. Gov. Daugaard is our last chance to stop HB 1008 before it becomes law in South Dakota and spreads across the country. After the bill makes it to his desk, he’ll have five business days to decide what to do.

Please, take a few minutes to call his office directly—605.773.3212—and ask him to veto HB 1008. Our friends at Freedom for All Americans have also created a simple form if you would like to send Gov. Daugaard an urgent message.

We can’t sit back and allow this attack on kids. Let’s show students in South Dakota that we have their backs and let’s show our opponents that we won’t back down until every member of our community is fully protected, respected, and treated equally.

What You Can Do:

• Phone: Call South Dakota Gov. Daugaard and ask him to veto HB 1008.
• Message: Send Gov. Daugaard an urgent message.
• Email: You can email him directly at GovernorDaugaard@State.SD.US
• Social Networking: Please tweet, post, and share on your social networks using the meme above and ask your friends/followers to do the same.