LGBTQ+

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases in the fall that test state laws banning transgender women and girls from participating in sports at publicly funded institutions. Both Missouri and Kansas have passed simii restrictions.

The case centers on a student in the Blue Springs School District. A 5-2 ruling from the state's highest court recently found that the Missouri Human Rights Act “does not cover claims based on gender identity," but it used a definition of "sex" that's more than two decades old.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach alleged that the Olathe, Shawnee Mission, and Kansas City, Kansas, school districts are violating federal law by not properly notifying parents of their students’ gender identity.

At issue was whether school systems are required to provide parents with an "opt-out" option when parents claim their religious beliefs conflict with their children's course material.

Next year, transgender teens in Kansas will no longer be able to access puberty blockers and hormone treatments for gender-affirming care. One family in Wichita is worried about navigating the changes. Plus, aircraft manufacturing is a big part of the Kansas economy, but new tariffs by the Trump administration have some companies scrambling.

Today marks 10 years since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. KCUR spoke to Kansas City couples about their love stories — and what the anniversary means to them.

Gay rights activism at the University of Kansas was led in the 1970s by the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front, but it took 10 years and a lawsuit for the student group to gain official recognition. Now, Katherine Rose-Mockry, retired director of KU’s Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity, has pieced that history together.

The Lawrence Gay Liberation Front has, under various names, challenged misconceptions about LGBTQ+ students at the University of Kansas for 45 years. Now, a book tells those students' stories. Plus: A Kansas museum dedicated to "The Wizard of Oz" is showcasing a movie prop that's never been seen by the public.

Both Missouri and Kansas have banned hormone therapy and other gender-affirming care for transgender youth under age 18. A conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar law on Wednesday, which local advocates say is "devastating."

Republican lawmakers put a measure on the 2026 ballot that would not just cement an abortion ban in the Missouri Constitution, but would also prevent transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming health care.

The Kansas City Council passed a resolution in 2023 that declared the city a transgender “safe haven,” in response to Missouri and Kansas restricting gender-affirming care. But one community leader says the city hasn’t followed through on that promise with material action.

Kansas City's PrideFest kicks off this weekend. But as the festival celebrates its 50th anniversary, organizers say that anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has cost the group $200,000 in sponsorships.