Gay Mo. legislator confronts GOP lawmakers over transgender sports amendment – Q Salt Lake

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The Missouri House of Representatives passed legislation on April 13 that would allow school districts to vote on whether to ban transgender student-athletes from youth sports.

Initially, the bill was drafted to audit Missouri’s voter rolls and adjust election laws. Republican State Rep. Chuck Basye proposed an amendment to “save women’s sports” from transgender athletes.
“This isn’t about hate; this is about fairness,” Basye said.

His amendment was approved 89–40 after nearly three hours of heated debate.

In a video seen more than 1.4 million times on TikTok, gay Missouri state Rep. Ian Mackey, D-St. Louis County, called out Basye. He compared the anti-trans bill to his own experience as a queer child growing up in small-town Missouri, even bringing 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 and not let his children be around him.
“Why would he think that?” Mackey asked.

“I don’t know,” replied Basye. “It never would have happened. I’ll tell you that.”

Mackey responded, “I would have been afraid to tell you too, 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,” Mackey continued. “I grew up in a school district that would vote tomorrow to put this into place.”

He continued that he grew up with “nice people” like Basye, who said nice things and “then went to the ballot and voted for crap like this.”

“Thank God I made it out … and 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,” he said.

“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.”

See the video via YouTube below: