transgender athletes

Studies are showing that Missouri's laws targeting gay and transgender people have already pushed LGBTQ+ residents to move — taking their tax dollars, and even businesses, elsewhere. One analysis estimates that Missouri has lost between $362 million to $879 million in household income, and that's expected to increase.

The case before the Missouri Supreme Court comes after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar law in Tennessee that bars transgender minors from getting gender-affirming care.

The policy from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services appears to target any reference to transgender or nonbinary people. The agency threatened to withhold federal funding for preventing teen pregnancy.

Shawnee Mission, Olathe, Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas, public school districts allegedly allowed students to participate in sports and use restrooms that align with their gender identity. The districts also permitted teachers to maintain confidentiality with transgender students.

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.

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."

It's the first time in more than 70 years that the House has adjourned early. The session had been scheduled to end on Friday.

With just days remaining in the 2025 legislative session, unfinished Republican priorities include overturning voter-approved initiatives on abortion rights and paid sick leave.

The demonstration celebrated Trans Day of Visibility, but many people were also there to send a message to lawmakers. President Trump has signed multiple executive orders restricting the rights of transgender people to get health care, passports and participate in school sports.

Kansas City’s transgender community is sandwiched between two states where Republican-controlled legislatures have made limiting transgender health care and other rights a top priority. Families say the restrictions put their safety at risk.

Senate Floor Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, said that the legislation permanently barring transgender minors from accessing health care is a priority for the Republican caucus this year.

Missouri lawmakers banned transgender student athletes from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity, and restricted transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming health care like hormone treatments. But the current laws expire in August 2027.