JEFFERSON CITY — Lawmakers who want to outlaw discrimination against LGBTQ people lost a round in the Missouri House on Monday, but came away with an on-the-record vote on the topic, which Republican leadership had long avoided.
Lawmakers debated banning transgender girls from high school girls sports teams. The bill had originally dealt with school transportation.
After Republicans widened the bill’s scope through a parliamentary maneuver, Rep. , R-Ballwin, offered an amendment prohibiting public schools from hiring or firing employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The measure failed on a 60-77 vote.
Republicans then approved the ban on transgender girls participating on girls sports teams on a 93-41 vote.
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The House earlier this month backed a plan that would allow local elections over banning transgender girls from K-12 girls sports teams. But final passage of any such measures is far from certain with fewer than three weeks to go in the annual legislative session.
Dogan’s amendment “was the bare minimum we could do to protect some LGBTQ Missourians,†House Minority Leader , D-Springfield, said after the vote.
“The Republican Party has made it known they have no interest in protecting the rights of those that may look or identify differently from them,†she said.
Dogan, a candidate for ºüÀêÊÓƵ County executive, noted his plan received six more Republican votes than a similar measure in 2017. That legislation, which he also sponsored, would’ve protected all LGBTQ workers from employment discrimination.
Nineteen Republicans broke with their party to back Monday’s proposal. With 60 affirmative votes, the plan received one more vote than Dogan’s 2017 amendment.
Seventy-seven Republicans voted against Dogan’s plan Monday night; 100 did so five years ago.
Some switched their votes.
Rep. , R-Chesterfield, voted in favor of the anti-discrimination bill in 2022 after voting against it in 2017.
Rep. , R-Bolivar, also switched his vote, along with Rep. , R-Steelville, and , R-Rocheport.
Support for the workplace protections Monday didn’t necessarily translate to support for transgender athletes participating in sports teams that align with their gender.
Basye, Chipman, DeGroot and Stephens all voted for Monday’s plan to restrict transgender athletes. Basye is the sponsor of a similar effort debated last week.
Reps. and , both Republicans from St. Charles County, voted “present†on the transgender athletes amendment while supporting the workplace protections for LGBTQ people.
Dogan expressed optimism late last year that the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, or MONA, would gain traction this year after more than two decades of languishing in the Legislature.
Rep. Tom Hannegan, R-St. Charles, had sponsored the bill but he died in October.
Dogan said the issue of transgender athletes, especially as it relates to Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, “has galvanized a lot of people on my side of the aisle.
“There’s legitimate questions about fairness in athletics,†said Dogan, who voted against the restrictions on transgender athletes Monday. “I don’t think that that should seep into people wanting to see people fired from a job as a teacher because they’re gay.â€