Transgender People

Nick Nack, who is a transgender and pansexual man, sits on a couch with his dog, Rick, on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at The Center Project in Columbia. “Even though my family is not very supportive of me being trans, I have a found family in this community, and those supportive relationships have made me feel really secure in myself and really secure in my life, and I'm really grateful for that, and there's absolutely a way to find that for people,” Nack said. “I think that's why things like The Center Project are so important, or communities—queer communities—are so important because queer people have a greater need for found family … and there are communities where people can find that.”

KBIA News

Nick Nack: "I didn't get male puberty, and instead, I got a bunch of other stuff that I didn't want."

Bailey Stover

Nick Nack is a transgender man and spoke about the challenges of going through a puberty that didn’t align with his gender.

Partners Sam Collins, left, and Cricket Osborn sit on their couch with their dog, Boone, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, at their home in Columbia. Their small brown dog’s name is Boone. Collins and Osborn met in Chicago and have been together for three years. “I get to come home to my partner and my dogs every day, and that's queer joy, and I feel safe doing that, so that's nice,” Osborn said. “I think also having friends that are queer and being able to connect with people about topics that you don't can't always connect with, like, straight people about—I feel like I have a lot of queer friends, and it's hard to not feel happy around them. I'm just like, ‘You guys are superior.’”

KBIA News

Sam Collins & Cricket Osborn: "The day I realized we could work as a relationship, we had a really awesome Valentine’s Day.”

Bailey Stover

Partners Sam Collins and Cricket Osborn met in Chicago and have been together for about three years. They spoke about the somewhat chaotic start to their relationship and their decision to choose love over fear.

A Northrop T-38 Talon supersonic jet trainer sits on display near the airfield at Whiteman Air Force Base. The T-38 Talon is used to train pilots for front-line bomber and fighter aircraft such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt, among others. Whiteman AFB is currently home to a fleet of A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" jets, and is also the exclusive operational home of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber.

KBIA News

Whiteman AFB pauses suspensions of transgender service members

Anna Spidel

A spokesperson for Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force Base says no suspensions of transgender service members are being processed due to a memorandum sent out April 2 by the Department of Defense.

Sherrill sits in their kitchen near a shelf of their Dungeons & Dragons and tabletop games on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at their apartment in Columbia. “I would like to tell my D&D group that, ‘I would not be here at all if I didn't have people like you in my life.’ It’s sad, and it's true. And I can say that to a few people, because I've gone through the wringer. And it's not an uncommon feeling. If I weren't here, there's a lot of people I could tell that, ‘The reason I'm not here anymore is because of you.’ But I'm not saying that. I’m saying, ‘The reason I'm here is because of you. And it's sad that you're the exceptions in this world, but it's happy that you are. So thank you so much, and know that I don't take that for granted. Not a single day,’” Sherrill said. “Find that group that will help you explore who you are and will accept you, no matter who you are. Because you really need people who are going to be accepting and a positive influence on your life. It is so good for you, so good for you.”

KBIA News

Sherrill: "Fantasy is really a place where the things that make you unique are celebrated."

Bailey Stover

Sherrill is a bisexual, nonbinary Missourian in their mid-20s who describes themself as an “avid geek.” They’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons for years and spoke about how the fantasy tabletop role-playing game helped them find acceptance and a truer understanding of themself.

Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City under a clear blue sky.

Missouri News

Legislation would prohibit transgender Missourians from changing birth certificates

Missouri Independent

The bill's sponsor says it was inspired by a lawsuit filed by a transgender student in Blue Springs School District.

Missouri Rep. Hardy Billington, left, Rep. Brian Seitz, center, and Rep. Jamie Gragg, right, talk before the House Committee on Emerging Issues hearing regarding bills restricting gender-affirming care on Monday at the Missouri State Capitol. Seitz is known around the Capitol as a fan of Superman, a character who is represented in his wardrobe.

KBIA News

Missouri House hears bills extending transgender rights restrictions for minors

Olivia Mizelle

The bill's sponsors say they want to protect children, but those in opposition say the bills hurt more than help.

Willow Wilson sits on a chair in her living room on Friday, April 5, 2024, at her apartment in Columbia. When Wilson was selecting her name, she said she originally had nearly 100 names to choose from on a Word document. For a while, Wilson said she almost committed to the name “Rumor” because it had a “cool, sultry” and “femme fatale” feel. “But I eventually settled on the Willow just because I think Willow Wilson is such a distinctive name,” Wilson said. “It's kind of like [a] Peter Parker, Clark Kent kind of vibe. … Not to sound too egotistical, but that is a very main character name, and I kind of liked that. And I liked that it was very earthy and crunchy and kind of, you know, hippie, a little bit. So, I think Willow was kind of like, where I was like, ‘Yeah, I like that: Willow Wilson.’ That definitely sounds like a lady who's about town and making the most of her life.”

KBIA News

Willow Wilson: Transitioning 'was sort of like unlearning that sense of shame I had about every aspect of myself.'

Bailey Stover

Willow Wilson is a transgender woman in her mid-20s and spoke about the process of learning and unlearning how to be a woman during her transition.

The Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City

Missouri News Network

Missouri Republicans aim to keep transgender issues in spotlight next year

Although a judge last week upheld a 2023 state law banning some gender-transition medical care for minors, Republican lawmakers signaled Monday they aren’t done pushing for laws affecting transgender Missourians.

Nathan Gilbert sits on his bed with his pawpaw sapling, which he sometimes refers to as his “son,” on Friday, April 5, 2024, at his apartment in Columbia. Although Gilbert is a bisexual, transgender man, he said he recognizes the “passing privilege” he has, a concept which he defined as “being able to be interpreted by society as a cisgender person.” “Even before I started testosterone, I would say I had that privilege. So even in a society where some people may perceive me as queer, I’d say a majority of people—you know, not a majority, but a lot of people—don't. And, that also means I don't face as much stigma or cruelty as other people, as my counterparts, as people that I consider to be my trans family, just my own community. A lot of people experience harsher than what I have experienced,” Gilbert said. “It's easy for me to be myself in a public space and not be judged for it. You know, even with, like, having a couple piercings and everything, it's just, ‘He's an alternative guy. He just does what he wants.’ And, especially in a college campus, people just don't really care in the city. No one cares. I am able to be myself in a lot of places, to a certain extent.”

KBIA News

Nathan Gilbert: "I'm trans... it's not my defining characteristic, but I think it's important in who I am."

Bailey Stover

Nathan Gilbert is a 20-year-old college junior at the University of Missouri. He's also a bisexual transgender man who spoke about the “really long time” it's taken him to embrace and celebrate his entire identity.

Dani Emma Devine, left, kisses her girlfriend, Cheryl Barbero, on the forehead on Monday, April 22, 2024, outside Barbero’s apartment complex in Columbia. Devine met Barbero through Facebook less than a year ago. The pair chatted briefly online then decided to meet in person at The Center Project, mid-Missouri’s only LGBTQ+ community center. After realizing they had mixed up their dates for The Center Project’s “Lesbians Over 60” gathering, they changed course and opted to share a meal at Ernie's Cafe & Steak House instead. “I’ve never wanted to live more in the last 15 years than I have now since I’ve met Cheryl,” Devine said. “I’m so incredibly happy that it almost puts the definition back in being gay.” “She was just what I was looking for,” Devine continued. “There was so little disagreement about life in general … I don’t know, maybe a 10% or a 5% difference between her opinion and my opinion. And I used to say that the words that she says just as easily could have come from my mouth.”

KBIA News

Dani Emma Devine & Cheryl Barbero: "I needed to find the right person and I finally did."

Bailey Stover

Dani Emma Devine and Cheryl Barbero are girlfriends in their mid-60s – both of whom came out later in life. Dani is a transgender lesbian and Cheryl is pansexual. A few years ago, Cheryl says she nearly gave up on dating all together - but then she met Dani. They spoke about how a mix of love and laughter keeps them young.