Missouri enacts controversial bans on trans youth healthcare and sports participation.
Missouri has passed a bill to ban gender-affirming medications for minors, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, for four years. Providers of gender-affirming care and families of transgender youths have expressed concern over the devastating effects of the legislation, including increased depression, suicide rates, and discrimination. The bill was passed by Republican-led legislators who argued that minors lack the capacity to understand their gender dysphoria and will eventually regret their life-altering medical decisions as adults. The legislation has been a top priority for Republican-led legislatures this year.