Montana Transgender Lawmaker Silenced: What You Need to Know

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A nice example of a decision been made by the state house about who can speak is being seen in Montana. On Wednesday, they decided that a transgender politician could not talk on the House floor for the rest of this session.

Before voting to punish her, leaders from the party that is in control of the statehouse had not allowed Rep. Zooey Zephyr to talk during discussions because she said that anyone who voted for prohibiting care to help young people understand their gender would be responsible for “blood” being shed.

The comment made by Zephyr really made the Republicans mad. They said it was unacceptable and not respectful at all. But Zephyr refused to apologize, which caused a big disagreement between her and the people in charge of the law-making.

Hundreds of protestors gathered at the Montana Capitol after Zephyr’s microphone was turned off when she asked to speak about her proposal on Monday. People shouted “Let her speak!” and made the House stop what they were doing. The police had to come in wearing special clothing to keep everyone out, leading to seven protestors being arrested for not following the rules.

Zephyr and House Republicans have been having a disagreement about healthcare for kids related to gender. This has become linked with the discussion across America about how strong democracy is in a time when people are taking different sides.

Montana is one of many US states that are run by Republicans who are now making laws to stop giving healthcare services that help transgender people. Last week, their plans moved forward and were sent to Montana’s Governor, Greg Gianforte, who has said he will approve them. In short: Transgender people in Montana may soon not get the care they need.

Zephyr Makes History

Last year, Zephyr made history by becoming the first transgender woman ever elected to the Montana Legislature. She is now one of many transgender lawmakers across America who were voted into office.

A 34-year-old lady is from the town of Missoula, and she works at the University of Montana. She has always been a promoter of LGBTQ+ rights and was actively involved in preventing any attempts to stop gender-affirming health care this year.

After winning the elections in November, she said that she wants to work with moderate Republicans to prevent anything too risky and help people who are like her understand what it means to be an adult transgender.

Democrats have been unable to stop Republicans from passing laws that do not allow transgender kids to get medical care. Republicans also said that if someone uses a different name than the one they used before they transitioned, it is only counted as bullying unless it reaches a certain level. Deadnaming is referring to calling someone by their old name after they have moved on with a new one.

Zephyr hasn’t been bothered by Republicans or other people telling her to say sorry, tone down her words, or stop the protesters. In a speech on Monday, Zedhyr compared laws that don’t allow gender-affirming care (like a law passed in Montana) to getting rid of something completely, which worried many transgender people since these laws make it harder for young trans people to get care and could be dangerous for their lives and mental health.

Zephyr Boldly Speaks Out

On April 18, when the House discussed a law that will stop teens from getting health care for gender-related issues, Zephyr talked about it and referenced the body’s prayer time. She said, “I hope when you all pray with your heads bowed next time, you realize how wrong this is and think of all the hurt it’ll cause.”

House Majority Leader Sue Vinton, a Republican, said that Zephyr’s words were rude and not okay. Later, a group of conservative lawmakers called the Montana Freedom Caucus wrote a letter and tweeted something which referred to Zephyr using the wrong pronouns. This is a bad thing to do because it shows disrespect for their gender identity.

Because Zephyr was involved in a protest on Monday, she has been punished and won’t be allowed to go the House floor for the rest of the legislative session. Her punishment is not because of what she said initially.

House Vote Prevents Zephyr from Participating in Debates and Discussions

The members of the House voted against Zephyr taking part in any debates or discussions – either in the House chamber or from the gallery. She can still vote, but only by remote means and won’t be able to speak on proposals or amendments until May when the current legislative term ends.

After the vote, House Speaker Matt Regier said that it does not stop her from attending committee gatherings.

1975 Montana Legislature Investigates Republican Misleading Election Ads

Long ago, in 1975, the Montana Legislature (the place where they decide laws) almost did something to stop some Republican lawmakers. These particular Republicans were accused of saying false and misleading things in their election ads! Eve Bryon, from the Montana Historical Society, told us all about it.

A group of people in the House said that some ads weren’t right, but after looking into it, they decided that it was similar to what other lawmakers had done. After this happened, there haven’t been any other legislators to be sent away or given a warning.

Montana Shifts Toward Republican Candidates, Power Meter Increases for the Montana Freedom Caucus

For many years, Montana had been voting for both Republicans and Democrats in different elections such as U.S Senate, Governors office etc. However, recently it has changed a bit, and now more people are supporting Republican candidates during elections.

Because of this shift, an organization called the Montana Freedom Caucus which includes about 21 Republican members from the Legislative Assembly is gaining more power. This caucus is pushing through laws that restrict abortions and loosen gun regulations.

The main person behind this group is Rep Matt Rosendale, a conservative politician who supported Trump’s incorrect claims about the 2020 election. He was also part of the few Republicans that didn’t want Rep Kevin McCarthy to be the leader of the US House of Representatives.

The caucus, or a group of people in this situation, was angry because Zephyr said something mean and they didn’t like it. They wanted everyone to talk nicely with each other – just like some Democrats in Tennessee who got in trouble for doing a protest against guns. The caucus put out a statement and said that what happened at the protest (where people got arrested) was wrong and that Zephyr helped encourage it.

No buildings have been destroyed or lawmakers threatened. However, politicians from the state legislature to the Montana representatives in Congress have labeled the protesters as dangerous and criticised their disturbances.

Regier, the House Speaker

Recently, some leaders in Montana’s state legislature have gained attention due to Zephyr’s punishment. One of these leaders is Regier, who was chosen to be the House Speaker earlier this year.

Regier is a real estate investor from Montana with a family that is involved in politics. He pushed for laws to stop local governments from making gun control rules. He then made another law which would disallow abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and this law was passed by the Legislature – but Governor Gianforte hasn’t signed it yet.

Kalispell, where Regier comes from, is the biggest city in Montana’s Republican (politically right-wing) Flathead County. Here, county leaders were against wearing masks to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Some librarians and library workers left their jobs because they didn’t want to ban books related to gender identity, race, or sexuality.

This region is well known for farming as well as being a place where lots of people visit Glacier National Park.

A Fight for Democracy

Recently, two African-American lawmakers were expelled from Tennessee due to a disagreement over gun control. This event highlighted the problems, like guns, racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights that our nation is dealing with these days. People accused this expulsion of racism since the white lawmaker who was involved in the same protest wasn’t disciplined.

In her Monday speech, Zephyr mentioned how certain people have been punished just because they spoke out against dangerous laws. She wanted to show similar struggles faced by the marginalized groups in our country.

On Tuesday, Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson expressed his disagreement with Montana’s current situation by saying that it was anti-democratic. He then tweeted “We will not let our democracy die without fighting for every voice. We are in this fight from Memphis to Montana!” so everyone can know where he stands.