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On Thursday, April 20, Montana's Republican House speaker refused to allow a transgender lawmaker, Zooey Zephyr, to speak about bills in the state house until she apologized for previous comments directed at the GOP.
On Tuesday, April 18, Rep. Zooey Zephyr, an LGBTQIA+ rights advocate, said that lawmakers would have "blood on their hands" if they banned gender-affirming health care for minors who identify as transgender as it potentially endangers their lives. The comment seemingly didn't go down well with conservatives who wrote a letter deliberately misgendering Zephyr, demanding her censure.
In light of Tuesday's comments, Republican Speaker Matt Regier on Thursday refused to acknowledge Zephyr when she wanted to speak on a bill seeking to put a binary definition of male and female into the state code.
Zooey Zephyr was the first openly transgender woman elected to the state legislature in 2022
Zooey Zephyr, the Democratic representative in Montana's 100th district, was the first openly transgender woman elected to the state legislature in 2022. The 34-year-old native of Missoula worked as a staffer at the University of Montana and dedicated her life to advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights before she was elected into the political fray.
As per the Associated Press, Zephyr has previously worked in the 2021 legislative session to hinder the state’s efforts to ban gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth.
Zephyr has been a vocal opponent of bills that restrict the visibility of trans individuals in Montana. In February, she opposed a bill to ban minors from attending drag shows.
Zooey Zephyr said that she will not apologize for expressing her views on the bill to ban gender-affirming healthcare transgender youths after the Montana Freedom Caucus demanded that she apologize for her comments.
Shortly after Republican lawmakers prohibited Zephyr from addressing the house floor, the Democratic lawmaker took to Twitter to express her disappointment at what she deemed to be a "fundamentally undemocratic" move.
She said:
“The Republican Party of Montana is refusing to allow me—a transgender Representative—to speak on any bill. This is fundamentally undemocratic. My light is on, and I am ready to speak on behalf of the constituents who elected me to do so.”
In a statement on Thursday night, Zephyr doubled down on her previous comments against the bill, stating that she will not apologize as she has seen the anti-LGBTQIA+ legislatures negatively affect the trans community in Montana.
She said:
“This year I have lost friends to suicide, and I have listened to the heart-wrenching stories of families dealing with suicide attempts, trans youth fleeing the state, and people being attacked on the side of the road. Montana Republicans say they want an apology, but what they really want is silence as they take away the rights of trans people."
CBS News reported that at the end of the session on Thursday, Democratic Rep. Marilyn Marler asked that the House majority allow Zephyr to address the statehouse in the future.
While Zooey Zephyr has made it clear that an apology is not forthcoming, House Republicans have remained resolute in their demand for censuring the lawmaker.
