'These bills are a question of power': Trans kids stand up to Mo. lawmakers
Miles, 14, and his parents made the two hour trek from St. Louis to Jefferson City during the 2021 Legislative Session to testify against nine bills which sought to limit the options for transgender kids. He said he testifies for younger trans kids in the hopes that they won’t have to hear and fight the same rhetoric he has come up against. “I’m obligated to be here,” he said. “It’s one of those things where you can’t think about whether or not it’s gonna be good for you.”
Black Americans struggle to get COVID-19 vaccine; history threatens to repeat
John Kelly, 78, has experienced the consequences of medical racism for his entire life. In 1942, when his mother went into labor, she had to give birth at home with the help of a local Black doctor. The handful of beds set aside for Black patients in the basement of a hospital where Boone Hospital Center now sits were taken.“From the first day I entered the world, I didn’t have access to the full scope of health care,” said Kelly, who, through candid conversations, has a team of physicians he trusts and consulted with before getting the vaccine.
Stakes high for transgender Missourians as the Supreme Court weighs in on discrimination
Under current Missouri law, even if someone could prove that their termination was a direct result of their gender identity their former employers would not be held responsible, because sexual orientation and gender identity are not protected classes. “If the Supreme Court hearing goes negatively for the trans community in Missouri, the level of workplace protections for transgender people will be next to nothing,” St. Louis queer labor organizer Niles Zee said.
The Rock Island Corridor battle: 'How would they like it if I built a trail through their backyard?'
The Rock Island Trail would affect nearly 700 landowners, according to the Missouri Farm Bureau. The state estimates it could cost between $65 and $85 million to complete the trail and $576,000 annually to operate it. Mark Chamberlin said he supports projects that promote the outdoors, but he wants the state to consider the impact on landowners.“All us farmers are conservationists; we’re caretakers of the land,” he said. “We just want our voices to be heard.