Missouri GOP leaders say LGBTQ+ issues will take a back seat in 2024

News Snapshot:

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s five-month annual legislative session begins Wednesday, and top Republican leaders say passing more laws directed at LBGTQ+ people is not a priority. Republicans spent much of last session crafting two new transgender-related laws, despite considerable pushback from Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates. One measure outlawed gender-affirming surgeries for minors and instituted a four-year ban on the use of hormones and puberty blockers as a part of gender-affirming health care for minors who were not already receiving those medications. Another law limits athletes to school sports teams based on their sex as assigned at birth, an...