As Missouri’s LGBTQ+ public policy and advocacy organization, PROMO works to confront systemic inequities that harm LGBTQ+ communities. In recent years, the state has passed a number of discriminatory laws, including ones banning gender-affirming care and prohibiting transgender athletes from competing.
“Right now, we’re in a space where it’s hard for people to survive as queer and trans people in Missouri and to be able to thrive,” said Katy Erker-Lynch, PROMO’s executive director. “It still is a gut punch when we see all of these bills that have been filed in the Missouri legislature. We’re already tracking, like, 60 anti-LGBTQ bills.”
In 2024, PROMO took the conversation about transgender rights and healthcare directly to Missourians, launching a deep canvassing initiative. Canvassers, many Black, transgender, or nonbinary, participated in a three-day training to prepare them for going door-to-door with a specific question: As a voter, do you believe Missouri’s government should control transgender people’s access to healthcare? They knocked on thousands of doors and had over 250 conversations with Missourians. They asked the same question at the beginning and end of each conversation, using a 1-to-10 scale to gauge sentiment from most government control to least. Of those individuals who started at a 5, more than 54% moved at least two points in favor of less control, and 27% moved all the way to 10.
“For the first time in Missouri’s history, we have data that we can bring to our representatives, that we can bring to senators and say, ‘we talked to your constituents. This is not what they want you to focus on,’” said Erker-Lynch.
In addition to the canvassing efforts, which will resume during the current legislative session, PROMO is engaging in narrative work. The organization’s communications director is visiting colleges and universities across the state to provide trainings on covering stories that include or center transgender individuals with journalism students and professionals.
Hear Katy Erker-Lynch share why PROMO’s participation in scenario planning support offered by RFDC was a difficult, but ultimately, valuable experience for her team.
