Watch Gay Lawmaker Confront GOP Colleague Over Anti-Trans Bill

Author: Alex Cooper

The Missouri House approved a bill Wednesday evening that would allow school districts to vote on whether to ban trans student athletes from youth sports.

The bill had originally been drafted to audit Missouri’s voter rolls and adjust election laws, according to the Springfield News-Leader. State Rep. Chuck Basye, a Republican who proposed the amendment, said it was to “save women’s sports.”

“This isn’t about hate, this is about fairness,” Basye said. His amendment was approved 89-40 after almost three hours of heated debate.

In a video seen more 700,000 times on TikTok, gay Missouri lawmaker Ian Mackey called out Basye. He compared the anti-trans bill to his own experience as a queer student growing up and even brought up Basye’s own gay brother.

“Your brother wanted to tell you he was gay, didn’t he?” Mackey asked him. Basye said he did and his brother thought their family would hold it against him. “Why would he think that?” Mackey asked.

“I don’t know,” replied Basye. The GOP representative said, “that was never going to happen.”

Mackey said, “I would have been afraid to tell you too. I would have been afraid to tell you to because of stuff like this because this is what you’re focused on. This is the legislation you want to put forward. This is what consumes your time … I was afraid of people like you growing up.”

He continued that he grew up with people like Basye, “nice people” who voted against Mackey’s rights and against the rights of LGBTQ+ people.

“Thank God I made it out … I think every day about the kids who are still there who haven’t made out, who haven’t escaped from this kind of bigotry. Gentlemen, I’m not afraid of you anymore,” Mackey said. “Because you’re gonna lose. You may win this today, but you’re going to lose.”

Other Democrats also slammed the amendment to the bill.

“We have spent nearly three hours talking about this issue and why?” said Minority Leader Crystal Quade, the News-Leader reports. “Members on the other side of the aisle have said directly to my face that they spoke on this issue because of their primary elections. Because they need to win elections in a redistricting year.”

The outlet notes that Basye and other Republican lawmakers have attempted to pass multiple anti-trans bills over the last few years — one of which would have allowed students to sue schools that allowed trans students to play.

The bill passed Wednesday needs another vote before it can be sent to the state’s Senate.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Alex Cooper