Columbia commission favors LGBTQ+ sanctuary city ordinance

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) -

An LGBTQ+ advocate said that the Columbia Human Rights Commission supported a proposal on Tuesday to pass legislation that some say would give legal protection to LGBTQ+ people.

The commission plans to send a report to the Columbia City Council soon backing the proposed "sanctuary city" ordinance, according to Paul Harper, one of the authors of the ordinance. The proposal would make penalizing someone from seeking out or helping someone get gender-affirming care like hormone therapy or gender transition surgery its lowest priority.

The Mizzou Young Democratic Socialists of America approached the city with the idea earlier this year in the wake of a state law that makes it illegal to offer such medical care to people under the age of 18. MU Health Care announced shortly after that that it would halt such care, even to those children grandfathered in because they have already started those therapies. Groups said passing such an ordinance would stop people from leaving the city and state for areas that do allow the treatments.

Harper said the city's legal department would still need to finalize the rules before the council fully considers them. The Human Rights Commission's report would appear on either the council's agenda for Dec. 18 or at a meeting next month, depending on when the commission finalizes the report, Harper said.