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Jefferson City, Missouri (AP) – The Missouri legislature approved two bills on Wednesday to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors and to ban transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports teams. bottom. But Kansas City was preparing to rebel against the state, and the city council was set to vote on creating a sanctuary for those seeking gender-relevant treatment.
transgender Under a bill passed by the Republican-led House of Representatives, Missouri minors would be barred from receiving puberty blockers, hormones and gender reassignment surgery. This ban affects some adults. Medicaid health care will not cover gender-affirming health care in the state, and prisoners and inmates will be denied surgery.
Another bill bans transgender student-athletes from kindergarten through college from participating in girls’ or women’s teams at both public and private schools. Schools that allow transgender girls and women to play on such teams will lose state funding.
Republican Governor Mike Parson is expected to sign both bills, which expire in 2027 thanks to concessions obtained through negotiations between Republicans and Senate Democrats.
Democrats shed tears during the House debate.
“To deny the care of these children is to deny their very existence,” said Congressman Joe Adams.
Missouri’s ACLU said the two measures amounted to “weaponizing the government.”
Missouri ban comes amid national pressure Conservatives have proposed placing limits on transgender and nonbinary people, which is a major theme in this year’s legislature, along with abortion.
Republican Rep. Brad Hudson told his colleagues on the floor of the House Wednesday, “If children are being altered for life by surgery and chemicals for no good reason, it’s time for the government to get involved.” Told.
The governor threatened to keep his legislative job Failure to approve the ban on gender-affirming treatments, which will take effect August 28, will apply beyond the normal end of the session. The ban also includes exceptions for minors already undergoing such treatment.
Republican Rep. Chris Sander, who is gay, said he was considering leaving the party after most of his Republican colleagues voted for the bill instead of allowing him to speak out against it in the House. rice field.
“Being gay or transgender is not a partisan thing,” Sander, who represents the Kansas City suburb of Lone Jack, told reporters after the vote. It doesn’t matter. They’re trying to shut my mouth and talk about party politics.”
As Bill Passes Republican-Majority Congress, Kansas City City Council Committees Begin Hearings on Resolution Designating City as a Sanctuary for People Seeking or Providing Gender-Affirmative Care bottom.
Supporters acknowledged that the city could face retaliation from the state.
However, city councilor Melissa Robinson said, “I believe in good trouble. This may be just one of the good trouble lines.
The committee approved the resolution and forwarded it to the full council for consideration on Thursday.
The resolution states that the city will not prosecute or fine individuals or organizations that seek, provide, receive, or cause them to receive gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers, hormones, or surgery. . City officials also said they would make mandatory requirements for gender-affirming care a “first priority.”
Merik Jenson, a trans woman and founder of a nonprofit that advocates for trans women of color, told a city council committee: Legal violence against people would be minimized.”
Currently, at least 16 states have enacted laws to limit or prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, and several states are still considering bills to limit or prohibit care this year, making them illegal. there is certainty for many families. Florida and Texas prohibit or limit care through regulations or executive orders and bills restricting care. On the desk of Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
At least 21 other states have passed legislation restricting the participation of transgender athletes in sports.
CaliforniaMinnesota and Washington Like the city of Chicago, it has declared itself a sanctuary state for gender-affirming care. Minneapolis, Minnesota. and West Hollywood, California.
In February, Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is running for the 2024 election, launched an investigation into the Washington University Transgender Center in St. Louis. Former staffers complained doctors were rushing to prescribe hormones and not enough comprehensive mental health services.An internal University of Washington investigation found no wrongdoing.
Bailey then expanded the inquiry to clinics that provide pediatric gender-affirmation care in Missouri and requested records. From the family planning system in St. Louis, where doctors provide such care.
In April, Bailey took another step by imposing restrictions Missouri consumer protection laws cover adults as well as children.Judge temporarily blocked restrictions Its entry into force is postponed as she considers legal challenges.
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Hannah reported from Topeka, Kansas. Margaret Stafford of Kansas City, Missouri also contributed.
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