Best of KC 2023: Greg Razer and the fight for acceptance

Greg Razer. // Photo by Zach Bauman

This month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can browse the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some of our current favorite things about Kansas City in 2023. We’ll be publishing these items online throughout November. 

Amid transgender rights being stripped from Missouri and Kansas youth, Missouri Senator Greg Razer has been one of the leading voices standing up against the recent changes.

The push against the trans youth community by the two states initially stripped access to school bathrooms that aligned with an individual’s gender identity, but as residents of the neighboring states have seen throughout the year, it has not stopped there.

In April, Kansas passed laws that banned trans athletes from competing in any organized women’s sports between the early elementary years up to collegiate level play. Along with this, they also banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth, placing restrictions on puberty blockers, hormone prescriptions, and gender-affirming surgeries.

In June, Missouri took the same path, making these states two of 24 total states that have placed bans on either gender-affirming care, sports participation, or both, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Razer, who grew up as a closeted gay in Cooter, Missouri, has been one of the lead voices in the Missouri Senate fighting for equal rights for transgender youth. As a lead advocate who can truly empathize with trans youth in the state, Razer has been at the forefront of the battle for obtaining equal opportunities for these individuals.