GLAAD STATEMENT ON FALSE, HARMFUL AND DISCRIMINATORY ANNOUNCEMENT FROM MISSOURI’S ATTORNEY GENERAL ON ESSENTIAL HEALTHCARE FOR TRANSGENDER YOUTH AND PEOPLE

(New York, NY – April 14, 2023) – GLAAD issued the following statement today in response to the emergency rule issued by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to ban health care for transgender people. The rule is expected to go into effect on April 27, 2023.

Statement from GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis:

“The rule issued by Missouri’s attorney general includes outright lies and falsehoods about best practice care supported by every major medical association. This is an unprecedented attempt to restrict an entire group of people from being able to make informed medical decisions in order to live and thrive. Health care decisions need to remain between patients, their doctors, and their loved ones – not subject to the whim of craven politicians looking to score political points. GLAAD is sending all of our support to our organizational partners and activists in Missouri, who are working hard to undo this unconstitutional directive as soon as possible. Transgender people belong, and this rule will not stand.”

PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, issued a statement here, saying in part:

“Let’s be clear – gender-affirming care is based on decades of clinical experience and research and is not considered experimental. The Attorney General’s claims are maliciously cherry-picked and come from unverified sources that allow him to promulgate disgusting, obstructive, and misleading information into an emergency rule. It should be clear to anyone paying attention that the real threat to Missourians is the Attorney General himself. … We are living through an all out attack on transgender Missourians’ lives and very ability to exist.”

Earlier this year, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced a number of efforts aimed at restricting transgender people’s access to best practice, live saving health care, including:

• An emergency rule falsely alleging that best practice medical care recommended by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and every other major medical association is “experimental.”
• A taxpayer-funded multi-agency investigation into the Pediatric Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, which is operating best practice medical care recommended by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and every other major medical association.
  • Note that families served by this healthcare center have by and large rejected allegations of mistreatment at this center by a so-called “whistleblower” who is represented by attorneys funded by a longtime anti-LGBTQ hate group.
• A taxpayer-funded tipline to “report” healthcare professionals who are following best practice medical care recommended by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and every other major medical association.

The slate of extremist bills being considered by Missouri’s legislature includes:

• A ban on healthcare for transgender people and youth (introduced by a lawmaker who voiced support for children as young as twelve to get married)
• A ban on transgender students playing school sports
• A bill to falsely reclassify drag venues
• A move to defund all public libraries in the state after librarians objected to book bans

For the full list of bills pending in Missouri that affect LGBTQ people, and other anti-LGBTQ bills across the country, visit https://www.equalityfederation.org/state-legislation.

More than 400 bills are being considered in state legislatures that directly target LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities.

• Healthcare—Efforts to ban and criminalize healthcare for transgender people and youth are not based on medical or scientific expertise. Every major medical association supports this healthcare as essential and lifesaving. Statements here.
• Abortion—70% of Americans say the decision to have an abortion procedure should be made between a patient and their doctor, and the majority specifically oppose overturning Roe v. Wade. GLAAD is documenting states advancing pro-equality legislation to protect patients seeking reproductive care and transgender healthcare, often led by out LGBTQ lawmakers.

Resources:

• GLAAD’s Guide for Media Covering State Legislation Targeting LGBTQ People
• GLAAD Media Reference Guide regarding drag performance and other best practices recommendations for reporting on the LGBTQ community

Recent polling released late last month indicates that a majority of Americans – 64% – perceive the introduction of excessive anti-LGBTQ legislation as politicians playing political theater.