BILLINGTON House Bills 35 and 36 advance: The clash over gender transition and women's sports intensifies

I have secured a major legislative victory with House Bill 35 and House Bill 36 advancing through the House Emerging Issues committee. These bills promise to strengthen protections for minors and women’s sports, but a fierce battle awaits in the Senate. Both HB 35 and HB 36 tackle critical issues — gender transition procedures for minors and the integrity of women’s athletics. By removing sunset clauses in existing laws, we ensure long-term protections for Missouri’s children and women athletes.

But the Democrats and their radical allies are pulling out all the stops to block these bills. They claim these laws are “discriminatory” and “harmful,” but it’s clear their opposition is driven by a reckless agenda to normalize gender transition for children and destroy fairness in women’s sports. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have been vocal in their condemnation of the SAFE Act, arguing that banning gender transition procedures for minors would deny children essential, medically supervised care.

They argue that puberty blockers and hormone treatments are “life-saving” and “critical” for those experiencing gender dysphoria. But where are the concerns for the long-term, irreversible effects of these treatments? Many European countries that once greenlighted these procedures have now reversed course after seeing the damage they caused. Why is the left ignoring the consequences to children’s health?

Medical associations continue to push back, but in my opinion, they are more concerned with political correctness and financial benefits than with the well-being of children. They claim that these bans interfere with the doctor-patient relationship, but it’s us lawmakers who are fighting to protect children — not those pushing for dangerous, irreversible treatments.

Similarly, HB 36 eliminates the sunset clause from the law banning biological males from competing in women’s sports at the K-12 and collegiate levels, ensuring that males can’t gain an unfair advantage in women’s competitions.

There’s a reason we’re seeing this issue debated across the country: liberal states are allowing men to dominate women’s sports, and we are putting a stop to that in Missouri.

Let’s not forget the actual harm this policy has already caused. Take the case of a female volleyball player in the state of North Carolina, who was partially paralyzed when a transgender athlete spiked the ball directly into her face with extreme force.

The transgender player, who had a clear physical advantage, was able to hit the ball with significantly more strength than a typical female athlete could manage, causing serious injury to the opposing player. This is not just about fairness — it’s about protecting the safety of our daughters, who should not have to face physical harm at the hands of male athletes.

Democrats accuse Republicans of discriminating against transgender athletes, claiming that banning transgender women violates federal Title IX protections.

But the undeniable truth remains: men have a biological advantage over women in physical competition. These so-called “civil rights” groups want to force biological females to compete against athletes with a clear advantage—all in the name of political correctness.

I expect Democrats in the Senate to fight these bills with everything they’ve got, potentially using filibusters and procedural delays to block them.

“We know what’s coming in the Senate,” I argued before the committee. “But we’re ready. We’re standing up for Missouri’s kids, and we’re standing up for women. The liberals can filibuster all they want, but we won’t back down.”

This fight is far from over. The next battle will be in the Senate, where Democrats will fight tooth and nail to advance their extreme agenda. But I’m confident that Missouri’s children and women will win in the end.

Hardy Billington represents District 152, which includes Butler County.