Two bills regarding transgender rights introduced in Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Two anti-transgender bills looking at preventing treatments and preventing transgender women in women’s sports have been introduced in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 49, or the “Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation” Act, passed in the Senate 24-8. Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove) sponsors the bill that bans gender-affirming therapies and surgeries for minors. Healthcare providers’ licenses could be revoked if any hormone treatment and puberty blockers are prescribed for someone under the age of 18.

Those already using treatment or blockers can continue until the law goes into effect if passed in the house in August.

Senate Bill 39, or the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” bans transgender women from playing in women’s sports passed in the senate 25-8.

Sen. Moon said, “The whole point of this initiative, of this measure, is to protect the most innocent, the most vulnerable among us.”

Both bills have amendments allowing expiration dates of four years.

The two passed in the senate following hours of debate and filibustering.

Supporters of SB 39 said it helps ensure female athletes have an equal competitive chance that those playing have to be assigned female at birth.

Those in favor of both say they are saving the most vulnerable people from irreversible changes to their bodies and hormones. Opponents argue it shouldn’t be a politician’s decision to make these rules at all.

JD Bezares with the City of Kansas City LGBTQ Commission and Transformation KC Organization said it’s more of a fear tactic from the politicians.

“Some of us have been in the community for a while and we’ve experienced that health care scarcity coming up and I hate that we’re back there again and these legislators think that it’s their right to interject themselves into our lives. I’m most concerned with their lack of knowledge,” he said.

Missouri LGBTQ+ public policy and advocacy group PROMO have a scheduled protest Wednesday in Jefferson City.

Both SB 39 and SB 49 still need full approval from both the Senate and House. But if they are approved and signed by the governor, the bills would go into effect in late August.

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