Missouri House votes to ban trans athletes on girls teams

Transgender girls would be banned from playing on girls’ sports teams under a bill that advanced in the Missouri House.

House lawmakers voted 100-51 on Wednesday to add the proposal to another bill.

Republican supporters argued the change is needed to protect girls in sports. They decried the risk of being called bigots, hateful or transphobic for proposing the rule.

Democrats at times wept and said the rule change could push transgender children to kill themselves.

Missouri’s current public high school sports rules already prohibit transgender girls from competing on girls teams unless they’re undoing hormone therapy.