Missouri Supreme Court hears transgender bathroom discrimination case

Missouri's Supreme Court is currently deliberating a case involving a transgender student, referred to as R.M.A., who was denied access to boys' bathrooms and locker rooms at the Blue Springs R-IV School District. The court is evaluating whether the Missouri Human Rights Act protects transgender individuals based on their amended birth certificates, or if it only considers the sex assigned at birth. R.M.A. previously won over $4 million in damages in a jury trial, but that verdict was overturned by a circuit court judge who stated the decision was based on genitalia rather than sex. R.M.A. is appealing this dismissal, arguing that his identity as a man with female genitalia falls under protections for sex characteristics. The school district contends that adhering to the MHRA as they interpret it does not extend protections to transgender status. The outcome of this case could set a significant precedent for transgender rights in Missouri schools.