School teachers or counselors who support or contribute to the social transitioning of a trans child would now face a felony offense under a new Missouri law. An individual would also be listed on the sex offender registry under the proposed rules.
When a person adopts a name, pronouns, and gender expression—such as clothing or a haircut—that doesn’t match their sex at birth, as defined by House Bill 2885, they are socially transitioning.
According to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes, a teacher or counselor who “provides support, regardless of whether the support is material, information, or other resources” could face a Class E felony conviction, up to four years in prison, or a fine of up to $10,000. The act is still in its early stages of consideration and could be amended if it passes the state Senate.
On January 17, 2021, walkers in Jefferson City, Missouri, watch as snowflakes fall outside the Missouri State Capitol Building. Michael B. Thomas/Getty ImagesDemocratic state representative Jamie Gragg, the bill’s sponsor, informed local news outlet KY3 that the bill would likely apply to the use of any LGBTQ-related books or symbols in classrooms.
The bill, which was introduced on Thursday in the Missouri House, is the latest piece of legislation aimed at the transgender community. In recent years, Missouri has passed a number of anti-LGBT laws, including transgender sports restrictions and a gender-affirming youth health care ban. The Missouri Legislature is now considering 35 bills that could affect the LGBTQ community, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Gragg told KY3 that parents “who are frustrated with stuff that kids are being taught in school” were the ones pushing the bill.
“This is to put the social learning development of our kids back in the hands of the parents,” Gragg said.
Gragg’s office has reached out to ABC News for comment.
According to experts, social transitioning enables young people to experiment with how they want to present themselves.
In a previous interview with ABC News, Jack Turban, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, stated in a “generally accepted consensus in the field for these pre-pubertal children that we let them explore any of those things while making sure that they’re doing it in a safe, supportive environment.
According to a January 2023 article published in Revista Española de Salud Pública, or the Spanish Journal of Public Health, researchers found that social transitioning had “positive and rapid” effects on child development, with improvements in mood, self-esteem, social and community relationships, as well as a decrease in stress.
According to a separate study from the Journal of Adolescent Health, trans children may experience worse mental health outcomes if they are “not protected from K-12 abuse based on gender identity.”
According to the study, “It is the responsibility of professionals to emphasize the importance of children having safe and affirming social environments.”
During a protest in Kansas City, an activist carries a Transgender Pride flag. The Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty ImagesAccording to a UCLA School of Law data analysis from June 2022, transgender children make up an estimated 1.4% of the young people between the ages of 13 and 17.
According to PROMO, an LGBTQ advocacy group in Missouri, it is “telling” that lawmakers are more concerned about student gender expression than other issues affecting Missouri schools, such as teacher shortages and drops in academic performance.
Robert Fischer, PROMO’s director of policy, said, “It’s more telling that someone would spend time making sure every child in our state is alive, that every single child in Missouri has access to education, and that every single child in Missouri should have a safe and loving environment for their school.”
