GOP bill would require teachers to register as sex offenders if they support trans students

A Missouri Republican has introduced a bill that would make it a felony for teachers to support trans and gender-nonconforming students’ transitioning socially and force those found guilty to register as sex offenders.

First-term state Rep. Jamie Ray Gragg (R) introduced H.B. 2885 this week. The proposed law would make it a Class E felony to “contribute” to the social transition of transgender youth.

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“A person commits the offense of contributing to social transition if the person is acting in his or her official capacity as a teacher or school counselor and the person provides support, regardless of whether the support is material, information, or other resources to a child regarding social transition,” Gragg’s bill states.

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The proposed law defines social transition as “the process by which an individual adopts the name, pronouns, and gender expression, such as clothing or haircuts, that match the individual’s gender identity and not the gender assumed by the individual’s sex at birth.”

In Missouri, those convicted of Class E felonies face up to four years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.

Gragg’s bill also adds “contributing to social transition” to Missouri’s list of offenses that require those convicted to register as Tier I sex offenders, alongside crimes like first-degree sexual abuse of a victim over the age of 18, possession of child pornography, and second-degree child molestation. In Missouri, Tier I sex offenders are listed on the state’s sexual offender database for up to 15 years and are required to report to law enforcement once a year as long as they are listed.

A teacher in Missouri could be charged with a felony and put on the sex offender registry for using they/them pronouns for a student. This is insane. https://t.co/rTKIDX9mRk

— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) February 29, 2024

According to the Los Angeles Blade, the bill is expected to die in committee.

Last summer, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) signed two anti-trans bills into law, banning gender-affirming care for trans youth and banning trans women and girls from playing on women’s sports teams.

This year, the Missouri legislature has already debated eight more pieces of anti-trans legislation. The bills targetting trans people’s ability to access healthcare, bathrooms, and other facilities, and legal recognition of their gender identity, represent just a fraction of the 49 anti-trans bills Missouri Republicans introduced in January alone.

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