Now there are 15. A total of 15 bills targeting us. And they’re moving. Missouri continues to lead the country in the number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced — this week we went up from 14 to 15 anti-LGBTQ bills, most of which target transgender youth. And now they aren’t just sitting idle. These bills are starting to move.
With a growing list of anti-LGBTQ bills in Missouri, we need your help to stop these 15 bills.
Right now, three types of anti-LGBTQ legislation dangerously stand out: Rollbacks to marriage equality, attacks on transgender youth, and threats to erase our LGBTQ community.
Rollbacks to Marriage Equality
HB 2173 (Schnelting R-104) has a hearing this coming Monday, February 17, and would turn all existing and future marriages into domestic unions. Marriage equality is the law of the land. Rep. Schnelting and his colleagues are so threatened by our marriages that the Missouri Legislature is attempting to take away Missouri’s ability to recognize ALL marriages. As a country, we agree that all couples should have the ability to celebrate their love, declare their commitment, and affirm their equality under the law. We have seen similar bills before, but this session MOleg is validating these threats with an actual hearing. We will not allow Missouri to take marriage equality away for anyone. Call House General Laws Committee now and tell them to OPPOSE HB 2173.
Attacks on Transgender Youth
HB 1721 (Schnelting R-104) and HB 2051 (Pollock R-123) are both bills that would criminalize life-saving, medically necessary healthcare for transgender youth. These bills have criminal penalties against medical providers and parents, including a requirement that they should be reported to Child Services for providing healthcare to transgender youth. These bills overlook best practices backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other mainstream medical associations and penalize healthcare professionals and parents for doing exactly what they should be doing — making decisions together that help affirm, celebrate, and save the lives of some of our most vulnerable young people. Contact members of the House Judiciary Committee, and tell them how these medical care bans will only hurt transgender youth in Missouri!
SJR50 (O’Laughlin R-18) and HJR 82 (Ross R-142) are joint resolutions that would put the rights of transgender youth on the ballote in the 2020 election. Missourians would vote whether or not to amend the state constitution to require student athletes to participate in sports according to their sex assigned at birth. Transgender athletes participate in sports for the same reasons as everyone else—to learn good sportsmanship, get and stay healthy, be part of a team, and build a sense of belonging with their peers. Our laws should protect transgender youth, not encourage discrimination against them. We asked you to call, now we need you to write to members of the Senate Education Committee and House General Laws Committee to help stop these dangerous athlete bans!
Threats to Erase our LGBTQ Community
With more anti-LGBTQ bills growing in both the House and Senate, take time to call your legislators now and share why you need them to help stop all these anti-LGBTQ bills and instead work to protect all LGBTQ Missourians by passing the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act. The Missouri Legislature should be working to protect you, and these bills do the opposite.
You know legislators see PROMO in the Capitol every single day, demonstrating the vigilance, persistence, and expertise required to make certain Missouri laws protect and enhance the lives of all LGBTQ Missourians. But we can’t stop these 15 anti-LGBTQ bills alone. We need your help now.
