Missouri Bill Would Allow Elections to Ban Trans Athletes from Girls’ Sports

Even though schools in Missouri already have policies that allow transgender girls to play on girls’ sports teams, a last-minute amendment snuck into a voter ID bill last week. Now, state republicans could allow school districts to call elections on whether to ban (like many other states had) trans athletes, especially trans girls, from school sports. 

This new bill would make the state the first in the country to allow people to vote on this topic, but in a three-hour state House debate, a democratic legislator questioned if the amendment would require schools to inspect children’s genitals before allowing them to play sports, KTVI reported.  

During the debate, state Representative Chuck Basye (R)–who added the amendment that would allow schools to hold elections asking the voter whether trans athletes are allowed to play in girl’s sports teams—said “males are biologically superior to females.”

“There’s a lot of examples in our society where it is proven that males are biologically superior to females. That’s not a sexist remark, that’s a fact,” Basye says. 

Then he adds,“I am very, very confident that there are people in this state, children, parents, and other citizens, that feel like they don’t have a voice in this because they are afraid to speak out; I want to let them know that I’m speaking for them, and I’m proud to speak for them.”

Members on both sides expressed their opinions about the amendment. Representative Barbara Phifer was one opponent, stating, “This is wrong on so many levels.” 

“How in the world are you going to do this? Are we going to make children strip? We’re not going to do that in the state of Missouri. You’ll do it over my dead body,” Phifer adds.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo (D) says, “In a state of 6 million people, we’re dominating session by talking about under 150 kids that want to play sports. You have people in parts of this state that don’t have somewhere warm to sleep at night, you have teachers that are being grossly underpaid and a $1.8 billion surplus, and you’re talking about kids’ sports?”

The amendment was approved by 89-40 votes and was added to the elections bill.