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St. Louis mayor signs executive order seeking to shield trans youth from new state laws
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones on Thursday signed an executive order seeking to insulate transgender Missourians from bills passed by the state legislature restricting access to certain medical procedures for minors and limiting participation in school sports. “The responsibility now falls to local governments to take tangible steps to respond to this state intrusion into […]
Missouri Supreme Court to decide whether school districts can jail parents for absent students
The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over whether two single mothers should have been sentenced to jail time because their children missed more days of school than the local district allowed. The case centers on Missouri’s compulsory school attendance law, which states that a parent must ensure their child attends “the academic program on […]
Over 20 states have set developmental standards for deaf kids. Will Missouri be next?
Deaf and hard-of-hearing Missourians are hoping the governor signs a bill that, among other education-related provisions, would provide parents of deaf children with resources to prepare their kids for kindergarten. The problem the bill seeks to address is a tendency for some deaf and hard-of-hearing kids to have delayed language acquisition. Advocates for the legislation […]
Missouri attorney general withdraws emergency rule banning transgender health care
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey terminated his emergency rule on gender-affirming care Tuesday — less than a week after the state legislature sent a ban on minors starting treatment to the governor’s desk. The ACLU of Missouri filed a lawsuit in late April seeking to block Bailey’s emergency rule, alleging the attorney general didn’t have […]
‘There’s no point in staying’: Transgender Missourians describe toll of legislative session
Linda, Pat and their 15-year-old son Alex describe themselves as refugees of Missouri. Alex, which is a pseudonym to protect his privacy, is transgender. He’s lived his entire life in Missouri, and though his family imagined him leaving state for college, they truly believed Missouri would always be home. It wasn’t until March, when Democrats […]
Gridlock plagues Missouri Senate once again with just days to go before adjournment
The Missouri Senate remained bogged down in GOP infighting Wednesday night, with conservatives for the third day in a row blocking or slowing legislative action while time ticked down towards Friday adjournment. Leading the effort was Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, who spent much of Wednesday blocking an uncontroversial hemp bill by reading an anti-vaccine […]
Missouri House sends bill banning transgender health care for minors to governor
The Missouri House sent legislation to the governor’s desk Wednesday morning barring transgender youth from beginning gender-affirming care. The bill passed 108-50. Only three Republicans joined every Democrat in opposition: House Majority Leader Jon Patterson, a doctor, Rep. Chris Sander, who is gay, and Rep. Gary Bonacker. Democratic Rep. Peter Merideth of St. Louis asked […]
Judge blocks Missouri AG’s rule limiting transgender health care
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is still blocked from enforcing an emergency rule limiting gender-affirming care after a St. Louis County judge granted a 14-day temporary restraining order Monday. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and Lambda Legal, alleges that Bailey abused the state’s consumer protection law to create the […]
Missouri governor threatens to call special session to ban gender-affirming care
With only two weeks left before lawmakers adjourn for the year, Gov. Mike Parson is threatening to keep Missouri’s general assembly in Jefferson City if they don’t pass bills banning gender-affirming care for minors and placing restrictions on transgender athletes. Parson told KCMO Talk Radio’s Pete Mundo on Tuesday, and reiterated to reporters and Thursday, […]
Judge halts Missouri AG’s rule limiting transgender health care until May 1
An emergency order that would set barriers to accessing gender-affirming care in Missouri is delayed until at least May 1. St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Ellen Ribaudo ruled Wednesday that she needed to hear from both the Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and plaintiffs prior to deciding if she would place a temporary restraining […]
Judge rejects push by Missouri AG to move transgender care lawsuit to federal court
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s last-minute push to move a lawsuit challenging restrictions on transgender care to federal court was denied Wednesday, with a federal judge ruling the matter belonged back in state court. “You just can’t file something in federal court just because you want to be in federal court,” District Judge Henry Edward […]
Lawsuit seeks to block Missouri attorney general restrictions on transgender health care
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s emergency rule blocking access to certain medical procedures for transgender children and adults faces a lawsuit seeking to block implementation days before it is scheduled to go into effect. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit Monday in St. Louis County calling Bailey’s rule […]