Sue Gibson
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
For another heartbreaking year, Republicans in the state legislature are attacking transgender children. In 2020, a hearing was held in which they really needed to testify - on a weeknight in the evening, making families miss a day of school to drive from all over the state to miss dinner and be kept up late on a school night in order to attend the hearing. Their testimony is critically important, as their elected representatives are legislating out of ignorance, and it's tragically harmful to the children and the families that love them.
At issue is the right of the children and teens to participate on sports teams in accordance with their gender identity. Let me be clear: Trans girls are girls, and trans boys are boys. Trans girls do not have an athletic advantage over cisgender girls (girls who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth) simply by virtue of their trans nature.
In fact, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) has policies already established that ensure fairness. Interested persons can visit www.transathlete.com/k-12 to learn specifics.
Please contact your state representative and urge them to reject House Joint Resolution 53, the trans sports ban.