We need your help. This week, multiple anti-LGBTQ bills advanced to committees making bigger strides to threaten the rights and safety of our transgender youth and LGBTQ Missourians.
We are diligently preparing as we anticipate two transgender youth athlete bans, SJR 50 and HJR 82, to have hearings this month.
SJR50 (O’Laughlin R-18) and HJR 82 (Ross R-142) are joint resolutions that call for the placement of a ballot measure at the November 2020 election to amend the state constitution to require student athletes to participate in sports according to their sex assigned at birth. To contact legislators in the Senate Education Committee or House General Laws Committee, click here.
PROMO knows that every student deserves a fair chance to succeed in school and prepare for their future — including students who are transgender. The values that athletics bring to a student’s life — teamwork, cooperation, competition, endurance — are important for every student, especially LGBTQ athletes. We cannot allow the equality and dignity of our transgender youth to be up for a state-wide vote.
Additionally, we advance our focus around these anti-LGBTQ bills:
HB 1721 (Schnelting R-104) and HB 2051 (Pollock R-123) are both bills that would criminalize life-saving medical care for transgender youth by combining professional penalties for medical care providers with penalties for parents or guardians, including a requirement that they should be reported to Child Services. These bills overlook best practices backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other mainstream medical associations, and penalizes healthcare professionals and parents for providing affirming, life-saving care to some of our most vulnerable young people. These bills are both referred to the
HB 2172 (Schnelting R-104) would turn all existing and future marriages into domestic unions. As marriage equality is the law of the land, this bill makes sure that our state does not have to recognize same-sex marriages by taking away the recognition of all marriages. As a country, we moved together to finally agree that all couples should have the ability to celebrate their love, declare their commitment, and affirm their equality under the law. We will not allow Missouri to take that away for anyone. This is the first time since 2015 that an anti-marriage bill has been assigned to a committee, and is in the
This is the first time we have seen a high volume of anti-LGBTQ bills move with intention to pass. 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. We Need your help now to fight back against these attacks on LGBTQ Missourians! Please support PROMO’s critical work in Jefferson City with a gift of $5, $20, or $50 right now.
