Missouri lawmakers are once again targeting some of the state’s most vulnerable residents: transgender youth.

In 2023, the legislature passed temporary restrictions blocking trans minors from accessing gender-affirming care and participating in sports teams that align with their gender identity. Now, several bills in the Missouri House aim to make those bans permanent — stripping away even the limited sunset clause that was originally added to reach bipartisan compromise.

These proposals would not only lock in a law that has already driven families out of the state in search of medical safety — they would go even further by removing a critical “grandfather clause” that allowed some transgender youth to continue their existing care. Under these new bills, even those currently receiving care could be forcibly cut off.

This isn’t about fairness. It’s about fear.

Doctors, families, students, and advocates testified for hours against these bills. They spoke about the real harm caused by denying care, about the joy and health found through gender-affirming treatment, and about what it means to be driven from your home state just to access basic rights.

This legislation ignores the expertise of medical professionals. It sidelines the voices of impacted youth. And it weaponizes political power against kids simply trying to live as themselves.

We, the undersigned, demand that the Missouri House of Representatives reject all efforts to make these restrictions permanent. Lawmakers should protect trans youth — not legislate them out of health care, sports, or their own communities.

Missouri deserves better than fear-based governance. Let kids be kids. Let doctors be doctors. Let families make private medical decisions without government interference.

We call on the Missouri House to vote NO on these bills and stand for a state that values freedom, inclusion, and dignity for all.