Missouri LGBTQIA+ group used 'deep canvassing' to build a pro-trans majority
The gist
Missouri LGBTQIA+ group PROMO held over 13,000 deep-canvassing conversations before voters rejected Amendment 3.
The measure would have banned gender-affirming care for trans youth in the state constitution.
How it unfolded
- 2023A Missouri state law banned gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and hormones, for trans youth through August 2027 and barred adults from receiving the same care through Medicaid; the ban on gender-affirming surgeries for minors is permanent.
- 2024PROMO launched its first deep canvassing project as a power-building strategy using face-to-face conversations to work toward a pro-trans majority among voters.
- Spring 2026PROMO worked in coalition with the Stop the Ban MO campaign, focusing its deep canvassing on Amendment 3.
Key terms
- Amendment 3
- A proposed constitutional amendment in Missouri that would ban abortion except in limited cases and prohibit gender-affirming care for minors.
- gender-affirming care
- Medical care that helps a transgender person align with their desired gender identity, a major part of transgender health care.
- deep canvassing
- A structured interview technique using long, empathetic conversations to shift beliefs, often used in political and social activism.
Source: Wikipedia