Kansas City becomes 'safe haven' after Missouri passes bills on transgender care

The day after the Missouri legislature passed a bill banning gender transition surgeries for minors and a moratorium on prescribing medication for transitions, the state's largest city passed a resolution to become a sanctuary for those seeking the services.

Ordinance 230385, a measure declaring Kansas City a "safe haven for gender-affirming health care through adoption of a gender-affirming health care policy," was introduced by Democratic Mayor Quinton Lucas. It passed 11-1 on Thursday.

Before the vote, Lucas said the ordinance will ensure citizens in the transgender community “know that our city supports them and supports gender-affirming health care that they will need in connection with receiving any type of medical care or services.”

“What this does is say to our community is that we support you, we support the decisions that you are going to be making in private with your physicians,” Councilwoman Andrea Bough, the only member to speak on the ordinance, said before the vote. “This community is welcoming and affirming.”

The ordinance was discussed during the city’s Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee on Wednesday as the legislature was passing Senate Bill 49, which prevents health care providers from performing gender-transition surgeries on any minor. The bill also restricts health care providers from prescribing or administering cross-sex hormones or puberty-blocking drugs to a minor for a gender transition until Aug. 28, 2027, unless the minor was receiving treatment prior to Aug. 28, 2023.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson said he would call the legislature into a special session if they didn't send him bills stopping gender-transition care and preventing transgender women from participating in women’s sports. The legislature also passed on Wednesday Senate Bill 39, which prohibits transgender women from competiting in women’s sports.

“All children, regardless of their gender or orientation, are invaluable and should not be subjected to potentially irreversible surgeries and treatments prior to adulthood,” Parson posted on social media Wednesday. “The presence of biological males in women’s sports limits fair competition from hard-working female athletes. Women and girls fought hard for the equal rights they enjoy today, and they should not be deprived of athletic opportunity due to biological advantages of the opposite sex.”

The ordinance states Kansas City personnel shall not criminally prosecute or impose administrative penalties on an individual for providing, seeking, receiving or assisting another individual who is seeking or receiving gender-affirming health care. It also directs city personnel to regard as its lowest priority enforcement of any Missouri law or regulation which imposes a criminal punishment, civil liability, administrative penalty or professional sanction with any gender-affirming actions.

Bough said she wanted to dispel emails being sent to fellow members spreading fear concerning the ordinance.

“This does protect, we believe, the sanctity of a family and an individual and their ability to make decisions,” Bough said. “It does not give any right or power or privilege to someone – a young person who maybe is not capable of making a decision. It leaves that decision with that child and their parents.”