South Dakota could be first state to ban transgender students in some restrooms

South Dakota could become the first state to ban transgender students from using restrooms of the gender they identify with.

The state Senate passed the bill Tuesday in a 20-15 vote, after the state House approved it 58-10 last month. The measure now goes to Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s desk.

If the governor signs off, school restrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities that could be occupied by multiple students may only be used by students of the same biological sex.

The bill states that if a student says he or she is transgender, and a parent “consents to that assertion in writing,” the student should be given a “reasonable accommodation.”

A “reasonable accommodation” could include a single-occupancy restroom, a unisex restroom or the controlled use of a restroom or locker room, the bill states.

It was rare for black models like Tracey "Africa" Norman to break into the cutthroat lily-white world of modeling in the 1970s. Norman, who had exclusive contracts for Avon skin care and Clairol's Born Beautiful hair color, didn't tell anyone she was also transgender and had been born male. Once her secret was out, the work dried up. Here are some other notable moments in the recent history of transgender identity.

Raffi Freedman-Gurspan is the first openly transgender White House staff member. She will serve as an outreach and recruitment director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America now welcomes transgender girls, a stance that was made public several years ago but attracted controversy from conservative groups when it became widely known in May.

Olympic gold medalist and reality TV star Bruce Jenner told ABC's Diane Sawyer, "Yes, for all intents and purposes, I'm a woman," during an interview that aired April 24. She has now made a highly publicized transition from male to female as Caitlyn Jenner.

Renee Richards, here in 2011, made headlines for undergoing a sex change while a professional tennis player in the 1970s. She was barred from playing as a woman in the 1976 U.S. Open but played in the tournament the next year after the New York state Supreme Court ruled in her favor and overturned the ban.

Born female, Brandon Teena was living as a man in Nebraska when he was raped and killed by two men in 1993. Teena was 21. His case inspired the 1999 drama "Boys Don't Cry" starring Hilary Swank, who won an Oscar for her performance.

The 2006 indie film "Transamerica" starred Felicity Huffman as a transgender woman taking a road trip with her long-lost teenage son. Huffman was nominated for an Academy Award for the role.

Chaz Bono, the only child of entertainers Cher and Sonny Bono, arrives at a "Dancing With the Stars" special in May 2013. Bono was named Chastity at birth but came out as a lesbian in 1995 and later transitioned to living as a man. His transformation was chronicled in a book and a documentary feature, "Becoming Chaz."

Filmmaker Lana Wachowski attends a tribute to the late film critic Roger Ebert in October 2013 in Chicago. Born Larry Wachowski, he made the "Matrix" trilogy with brother Andy Wachowski before transitioning to living as a woman. Wachowski is the first major Hollywood director to come out as transgender.

"Orange Is the New Black" actress Laverne Cox attends an August 2014 event for Emmy nominees. Cox became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine.

Transgender model and reality TV personality Carmen Carrera attends a fashion show in September 2013 in New York. That year, thousands of fans signed a petition requesting that she be a model during the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, but the campaign was unsuccessful.

Actor Jeffrey Tambor portrays a divorced father who begins transitioning to a woman in the Amazon series "Transparent," which debuted in February 2014. For his performance, Tambor won a Golden Globe for best actor in a TV musical or comedy series.

Transgender activist and author Janet Mock attends the eighth annual Clinton Global Citizen Awards in New York in September 2014. Her 2014 memoir, "Redefining Realness," was a best-seller.

On January 20, 2015, President Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to mention the word "transgender" in a State of the Union address. Transgender activists hailed his speech.

After years as an androgynous male model, Australian Andrej Pejic underwent sex-reassignment surgery in 2014 and is now Andreja Pejic.

Joshua Alcorn voiced a desire to live as a girl, but the Ohio teenager's parents said they wouldn't stand for that. In December 2014, Alcorn, 17, was fatally struck by a tractor-trailer on an interstate after leaving a suicide note that said in part, "To put it simply, I feel like a girl trapped in a boy's body." It was signed "Leelah." The case drew national attention to the plight of misunderstood transgender youth.

Jazz Jennings became famous at age 6 when Barbara Walters interviewed her for a "20/20" segment about transgender children. Now 14, she hosts a popular series of videos on YouTube and is starring this summer in a TLC reality show about her life.

Transgender identity in the news

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READ: Rio 2016: Olympic body changes transgender guidelines

Daugaard has said the measure sounds like a good idea but plans to listen to recorded testimony before making a decision, the Argus Leader reported.

On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the governor said he hasn’t taken a position yet.

“Before he makes a decision, he will be meeting with The Center For Equality to understand their concerns,” spokeswoman Kelsey Pritchard said. “He will also be meeting with the sponsors of the bill.”

Earlier the governor’s office had told the center – which advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community – that he wouldn’t have time to meet with them.

The governor has said that, to his knowledge, he has never met a transgender person.

READ: Opinion: America, move forward on transgender rights

YouTube star Jazz Jennings is part of the ranks of prominent transgender individuals doing their part to increase the community's visibility in the media. The teen activist appeared in Clean & Clear's digital campaign an stars in a TLC reality show about her life.

Former child star J.J. Totah came out as a transgender girl in am essay published by Time magazine. "My pronouns are she, her and hers. I identify as female, specifically as a transgender female. And my name is Josie Totah," Totah wrote.

It was announced in July that transgender actress Nicole Maines had been cast as a transgender super hero, Nia Nal, who is described as "a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others" on The CW's "Supergirl."

Ines Rau has become the first openly transgender woman to appear as a Playboy Playmate with her spread in the November/December 2017 issue.

Gavin Rossum of the band LCD Soundsystem told Grindr in a July 2017 interview that she's been trying to come out fully as a trans woman for years.

In June, the artist formerly known as Charice Pempengco reintroduced himself to the world as Jake Zyrus. The singer debuted a new look in 2015 after telling Oprah Winfrey in an interview the year before that "Basically, my soul is like male."

Zeke Smith was outed as a transgender man on a controversial episode of "Survivor: Game Changers." The 29-year-old asset manager who lives in Brooklyn told People he struggled to forgive fellow contestant Jeff Varner who revealed the information during a Tribal Council.

Caitlyn Jenner, previously known as Bruce, revealed her new name and gender in Vanity Fair in June 2015. Jenner's announcement was called a watershed moment for transgender visibility. She appeared in the reality show "I Am Cait."

Laverne Cox, who was cast as Frank-N-Furter in the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" remake, is the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy. She appeared on the VH1 reality show "I Want to Work for Diddy" and later produced her own series, "TRANSform Me." She now portrays Sophia, a trans woman in prison, on the Netflix show "Orange Is the New Black." She received the Emmy nomination for that role.

Former male model Andrej Pejic revealed to People magazine in July 2014 that she has undergone sex reassignment surgery and is now Andreja.

Former "Drag Race" contestant Carmen Carrera wants to be the first transgender model to walk the runway for the Victoria's Secret fashion show.

Amanda Lepore is an iconic mainstay on the fashion and New York nightlife scenes. She has been a muse for fashion photographer David LaChapelle.

Lana Wachowski was "Laurence" when she and her brother Andy directed films like "The Matrix."

Producer/director Lilly Wachowski used to be Andy and transitioned after her sister Lana Wachowski.

Chaz Bono transitioned from Chastity Bono, which is how many fans knew him when he appeared on his parents variety series, "The Sonny & Cher Show."

Isis King was a contestant on the 11th and 17th cycles of "America's Next Top Model."

Lea T is a Brazilian/Italian who has served as a muse for the designer Givenchy. She revealed she was transgender in 2010.

Transgender celebrities

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Transgender student Thomas Lewis told CNN affiliate KSFY the measure is unnecessary.

“Most of my male friends who I speak to a lot say, ‘I don’t mind if you use the bathroom with me,’ he told KSFY. “I mean, it’s a bathroom. … It shouldn’t be a big issue to begin with.”

But State Rep. Fred Deutsch, who authored the bill, said the measure would help ensure privacy.

“The primary purpose of the bill is to protect the physical privacy of students from having to expose themselves, or be exposed to others, when in a state of undress or nakedness while at school or school functions,” he wrote.

READ: Chris Christie: Transgender bathrooms confuse kids

The conservative Christian group Family Heritage Alliance Action praised the state Senate’s approval of the bill.

“This is such the right thing to do to protect all of our students,” spokesman Dale Bartscher told the Argus Leader. “It’s a privacy bill, it’s a modesty bill, it’s sensible South Dakota common sense.”

If the South Dakota bill becomes law, it would contrast starkly with legislation elsewhere in the country.

California’s School Success and Opportunity Act, signed into law in 2013, lets students participate in sex-segregated programs and activities, including sports teams, and use facilities consistent with their gender identity.

CNN’s Dani Stewart, Suzy Alstrin and Emanuella Grinberg contributed to this report.