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The Kansas City Pride Community Alliance held its annual parade and PrideFest this weekend. Despite recent political attacks from Kansas and Missouri lawmakers, and a suspected pellet gun attack at a local LGBTQ+ bar last weekend, attendees used the time to get to know each other and find joy in the shared community.
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One law bans minors and incarcerated Missourians from accessing puberty blockers, hormones or gender-affirming surgeries — all treatments that are widely supported by mainstream medical groups. Those under 18 who have already begun treatment may continue their regimens. The second law prohibits transgender athletes from competing in sports that align with their gender identity.
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Two openly gay lawmakers in Missouri look back on a legislative session that many regard as the most anti-LGBTQ in state history.
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Debate over the GOP-backed “Let Them Grow Act” roiled Nebraska’s usually cordial unicameral legislature. With battle lines drawn for and against gender-affirming care, the PAC aims to use its national platform to support state-level candidates who will support their mission.
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An expansive Kansas law limiting transgender rights takes effect this summer, and trans residents are bracing themselves. Plus: Despite the return of KCPD's Missing Person's Unit, community members are worried about how the department will handle the disappearance of Black women and girls.
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Successfully completing drug addiction treatment becomes more complicated when parents need to find child care for their children. That means some Kansans parents never go into treatment. Plus: Despite several GOP lawmakers saying they have no interest in pursuing restrictions on gender-affirming care for adults, transgender Missourians are bracing for more limits on their rights.
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Under a recent anti-LGBTQ law passed by the Kansas Legislature, transgender residents will be prohibited from changing the sex on their driver’s licenses and other official documents. When the law takes effect July 1, lawyers and advocates say it could lead to harassment and discrimination.
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While Republican lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri passed anti-trans legislation, Kansas City declared itself a “safe haven” for gender-affirming health care. The move affirmed what many in the trans and non-binary community had already decided: to stand their ground.
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Advocates for transgender people say they can’t completely celebrate Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey's withdrawal of a rule limiting gender-affirming care — which would have also applied to adults — because Gov. Mike Parson is expected to sign a bill that limits such care for minors.
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Republican lawmakers have become laser focused on legislation affecting transgender Missourians. That reality is pushing some to flee with their families or send transgender teenagers to out-of-state universities. "There's no point in staying," one mother said. "I consider it dangerous here."
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For 16-year-old Missouri resident Parker Andrews, transitioning has improved his life and his mental health. But he's scared about Missouri's new restrictions on gender affirming care, which are presented as protecting kids. "I often feel quite the opposite is true," he said.
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Both parties claimed successes in a state budget that increased spending on roads and education. But a great deal of time was spent on Republican efforts to restrict the rights of transgender residents, while other priorities never made it to a vote.