[ad_1]
Missouri’s 2023 legislative session will have more trans athlete bills than there are currently identity-based trans athletes competing in public schools.
Republican lawmakers in both houses of Congress have jointly launched 10 bills seeking to limit the ability of transgender minors to play in youth sports.
For the 2021-2022 school year, only five transgender students applied to the Missouri State High School Athletic Association (MSHSAA).
Democrats and LGBTQ advocates say the bill’s spate is a discriminatory attack on an already marginalized community motivated by partisan politics. Many are titled the Women in Sport Protection Act and say they are inspired by genuine community concerns about fairness.
The debate was repeated during the 2022 Congress as Democrats stalled as Republicans pushed numerous bills targeting transgender youth. Ultimately, the dysfunction of the Senate doomed their chances.
R-Ash Grove Senator Mike Moon, one of the bill’s most outspoken supporters, is optimistic that things will change in 2023.
He notes that Gov. Mike Parson backed his bill after Congress adjourned in May.
“After the session ended, the governor’s office expressed support for the bill,” Moon said. “I don’t know if that was the trigger. [lmakers] Perhaps it will generate enough support for it to pass. “
Missouri governor laments failure of transgender sports bill, bans critical race theory
Meanwhile, opponents are preparing for battle.
“High school is hard enough, and it’s hard enough for students who already feel a certain identity or reason why they should work a little harder to fit in with their peers.” State’s Largest LGBTQ Advocacy Group .
“They face higher rates of bullying. They may also face harassment and abuse, and the fact that they may be excluded from sport has a devastating effect on an already vulnerable population. ,” Berkowitz said.
Patrick Sasser testified before a House committee in March that he wanted his 11-year-old daughter to be able to participate in sports according to her gender identity.
She has been denied entry to some women’s teams because she competes in multiple sports, he told The Independent in an interview. He said he hailed him as just an athlete, where he could kick a soccer ball and hopefully score a few points.
However, his daughter’s transition was not without tears.
“Every child goes through a lot of what my 11-year-old has gone through in their lives, and they don’t have to feel uncomfortable with their bodies, have questions or fears. ,” he said. “The idea of someone doing it to dominate a sport is like, crazy to me.”
“Good start”
The MSHSAA transgender athlete application process has been in place since 2012 and is more restrictive for transgender women who want to compete on the women’s team.
You can only compete according to your gender identity if you have been on hormone depressants for one year. To maintain your eligibility, you must prove that you are continuing treatment. Since the MSHSAA began this process in his 2012, 12 students have applied and been approved, said Jason West, his director of communications at the MSHSAA.
Warrensburg Republican Senator Denny Hoskins, who sponsored one version of the Women in Sports Protection Act bill, said he was unaware of the MSHSAA regulations.
After being briefed on Missouri’s current rules for high school players, he called the process a “good start” but said there are real implications for policies that need to be enshrined in state law.
“We can do more and get something into state law,” Hoskins said.
Since March 2020, 18 states have banned transgender students from competing based on their gender identity.
A Pew Research survey found that 58% of Americans say they “support” or “strongly support” policies that limit the participation of transgender athletes to the gender assigned at birth.
“I have been contacted by parents who have daughters…they have worked hard to develop the skills they have achieved and to win the scholarships they want. I am [biological] It’s unfair for men to compete with them in competitive sports,” said Moon.
He doesn’t talk about when his daughter competed against a transgender athlete in these families.
Sasser believes the Republican bill “exploits people’s fears and prejudices.” “That’s why legislators feel compelled to confront what I don’t see as a problem,” he said.
Rep. Ian Mackey of D-Richmond Heights thinks the opposition can defeat the bill this year.
“There’s always something more pressing… Something that actually needs our attention gets in the way, and I hope that makes us do the work we’re sent there to do.” McKee said. Come back to our district, improve the lives of our families and communities, and provide health care and education for Missourians. “
He believes most people involved in anti-trans laws “don’t understand what it means to be trans.”
emotionally drained
Berkowitz said anti-trans laws are psychologically damaging.
“The permanent damage that messages and bills of this kind do to our schools and classrooms and the physical activities our children participate in causes significant harm,” Berkowitz said.
Emotional distress causes transgender athletes to drop out of sports they otherwise enjoy, said Berkowitz.
For Sasser and his family, who have repeatedly testified against this law, it is emotionally draining.
“It’s a really tough fight and it’s really hard for me to feel like I’m defending my child’s identity.
Hoskins and Moon acknowledged that their laws could adversely affect the mental health of transgender athletes.
“We want to recognize the mental health concerns of all young people, whether they are transgender or not,” Hoskins said.
Ten bills submitted by mid-December include various financial penalties for schools that allow transgender athletes to compete on teams opposite their birth-assigned gender. It contains. Both the Hoskins and Moon bills take away all funding the legislation dictates until schools comply with the rules.
This article was originally published by the Missouri Independent.
[ad_2]
Source link
