In response to the recent Missouri legislation restricting access to gender-affirming care.
Governor Parson signed a new state directive restricting gender-transitioning treatment for adults and minors. Missouri legislators led what is considered now the strictest anti-trans legislation in the entire country, putting the lives of at-risk trans youth, especially of trans people of color. The legislation pulls from misconceptions that will submit patients seeking gender-affirming care to invasive psychological/psychiatric assessment to ensure their identities are not the result of a “social contagion” or a “social media addiction or compulsion.”
As a member of the Saint Louis art community, one that has often benefited from the creativity and joy of trans creators, COCA explicitly condemns this regulation and other laws that limit transgender and gender non-conforming Missourian’s lives. We understand that promoting art in the region is impossible without a strong commitment to the fight for personal freedom and inclusion, and we hope to make our organization a place where trans rights can be protected and defended. We support the admirable efforts of organizations such as Lambda Legal, ACLU Missouri, and Promo Missouri in their attempt to stop these legislations.
