JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Dozens of advocates, including drag queens in full makeup, on Tuesday rallied at Missouri's Capitol against bills banning transgender athletes from participating on girls sports teams, gender-affirming treatment for transgender kids and public drag shows.
Jordan Braxton of the advocacy group TransParent, who performs in drag as Dieta Pepsi, told a group of about 100 advocates that the legislation up for debate "is hurting our trans kids."
"As a trans woman I will not be erased," she said. "As a drag queen I will not be erased. As a human being I will not be erased."
Bills considered during a House committee hearing included restrictions on which teams transgender athletes -- particularly girls -- can play on from K-12 through college. Transgender girls could play only on boys' teams under several proposals.
Republican sponsors argued the legislation is necessary because boys have an unfair advantage, although both Republican and Democratic committee members questioned whether boys are intrinsically better at all sports.
Missouri's current public high school sports rules already prohibit transgender girls from competing on girls teams unless they've undergone at least a year of hormone therapy and continue taking medication to maintain their hormone levels.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association requires transgender athletes to apply and submit documentation of medical care in order to compete as the gender they identify with.
A spokesman for the association said 13 students have been approved since 2012, including four transgender girls.
Republican Rep. Brian Seitz of Branson said he has not read the association's rules and has "no idea what intersex is."
"The science is clear," Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft told lawmakers. "I'm not saying that men are superior to women, but genetically men have a better bone mass. They generally have stronger muscle mass. They're generally faster. They're generally stronger."
Ashcroft's comments, which strayed from his typical testimony on election issues, prompted Democrats to question if he's running for governor in 2024, when Republican Gov. Mike Parson will be term-limited.
Seitz's and other lawmakers' proposals would require parents to sign affidavits each year about their kids' sexes. Schools that violate the bills would face losing state funding or being sued by other student athletes.
Other bills would ban doctors from providing any gender-affirming treatments to minors and prevent insurance from covering such treatments.
Another bill would make performing in drag in public or where a minor could watch a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.