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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour had a huge economic impact on Kansas City — and then she kept coming back. Local business owners and even the city’s tourism board say they're reaping the benefits. Plus: A new book shows how Kansas City's drag performers influenced the national scene.
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Brian Kirk lost his position on a volunteer library board over his support for LGBTQ+ rights. Progressive residents say the incident has revealed discrimination in St. Joseph, Missouri.
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The efforts to remove books from school libraries started with parents in local districts and eventually led to state legislatures. After two years of controversy, one Missouri school librarian says her colleagues are leaving the profession because it has become too painful.
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Brian Kirk lost his position on a volunteer library board over his support for LGBTQ+ rights. Progressive residents of St. Joseph say the incident has revealed discrimination in the city.
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A college professor with Kansas City roots is highlighting the city's influence in LGBTQ+ history and the national gay bar scene. Lucas Hilderbrand says the city was a nexus for gay political activity, activism and culture.
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Despite objections from parents and students, Leavenworth School District Board of Education voted 4-3 this week to pass revisions to an education policy that bans “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” references in the district’s elementary library books.
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Missouri Attorney General Bailey cited Missouri’s consumer protection law to demand access to all electronic health records from patients at Washington University's Transgender Center. A new lawsuit argues Bailey does not have that legal authority, and that patient records are protected under HIPAA.
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Does gender dysphoria count as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act? The question lies at the center of a federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri earlier this month.
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Attorney General Andrew Bailey claims the proposal amounts to religious discrimination. But Missouri’s child welfare agency already offers guidance to foster care providers to use a child’s "preferred name and pronouns" and provide "physically and emotionally safe and supportive care and resources regardless of one’s personal attitudes and beliefs."
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The Human Rights Campaign gave Kansas City high marks on its municipal equality index, but another group said the city is one of the worst places for LGBTQ+ people to live.
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The lawsuit alleges that halting prescriptions for transgender minors unconstitutionally discriminates on the basis of sex and disability status. Mu Health's decision was based on a new Missouri law restricting gender-affirming care, even though the law allows people already receiving treatment to continue.
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The St. Marys city commission, all of whom are members of a conservative religious sect, has threatened for years to pull the lease of the public library if it doesn't remove "divisive" materials. More than a dozen books were taken out of the youth section, and it's not clear how many more could be removed in the future.