Lambda Legal issued the following statement in response to the Missouri legislature’s latest attack on transgender people in the state, passage of Senate Bills 39 and 49. SB 49, or the “Save Adolescents from Experimentation” (SAFE) Act, prevents transgender youth from having access to puberty blockers, hormones or gender-affirming surgery. Transgender adults will not have access to gender-affirming health care under Medicaid and gender-affirming surgery will no longer be available to prisoners and inmates. SB 39 bans students from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. This would apply from kindergarten through college at both public and private schools. The bills will now be sent to the desk of Republican Gov. Mike Parson.
“The decision by Missouri’s legislature to join in the shameful chorus of anti-trans legislation by advancing two bills that restrict the rights and freedoms of young transgender people on the same day is astonishing and cruel,” said Nora Huppert, Lambda Legal Attorney. “SB49 lacks even a whisper of rhyme or reason and endangers the health and wellbeing of Missouri’s transgender community. As we continue to fight against Missouri’s Attorney General’s so-called “emergency rule,” today’s news is a stark reminder that attacks on transgender people continue to grow both in number and in their shamelessness.”
Read more about the case, Southampton Community Healthcare v. Bailey.