This week LGBTQ equality took a big win.
PROMO previously testified in opposition to HB 2173 (Schnelting R-104) which would turn all existing and future marriages into domestic unions creating substantial legal issues for married couples in the state. And this week, thanks to all of your calls, tweets, and in-person conversations with our lawmakers, the House Rules Committee tied a vote on the bill keeping it from advancing. HB 2173 died in the committee ending this attempted rollback to marriage equality.
We are full of gratitude for our entire community in working diligently with us to keep all of the anti-LGBTQ bills from advancing. The work towards equality has been and will continue to be a marathon in this legislative session. Take a moment to celebrate our success!
This week was also difficult. The past few weeks have been difficult, and the number of anti-LGBTQ bills is growing – there are 18 anti-LGBTQ bills total in Missouri. Transgender youth and their families have been vital to our work inside the Capitol. This week, we partook in another tremendously emotional and deeply personal hearing that affected us, our friends and family, and most notably the transgender children who came to share their stories.
We value the bravery of transgender youth and their families who continue to forge a path towards equality by sharing their stories and speaking out.
During this hearing, a parent explained, “When my 9 year-old son told his First Grade teacher that he was a boy, he was accepted by his teacher, by his classmates, by his family. It wasn’t until he came here to testify that he learned the only place he wasn’t accepted was by this body of lawmakers.”
Corey, a 14-year-old transgender boy, also spoke out exclaiming, “we deserve dignity and respect just like everyone else, and we’re just the same as every other person.”
PROMO is grateful for the hundreds of Missourians who continue to make calls, testify, and advocate for LGBTQ Missourians tirelessly this session. Thank you. In order to stop 18 anti-LGBTQ bills, we need you to continue helping us in this fight.
Together we know we will achieve equality.
