Montana Trans Legislator Is Doing Her Job From a Capitol Hallway
Republicans in Helena have been pushing a series of bills on transgender issues, part of a conservative legislative effort that has been coming up for votes in state capitols across the country. Ms. Zephyr stood on the House floor earlier in the month to tell colleagues that passing a bill to prohibit hormone treatments and surgical care for transgender minors would be “tantamount to torture” and would result in “blood on your hands” for lawmakers who approved it.
The House’s Republican leadership initially responded by refusing to recognize Ms. Zephyr in floor discussions. Then on Wednesday, citing violations of decorum, Republicans voted to ban her from the chamber for the rest of the session, which is scheduled to end next week.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus accused Ms. Zephyr of “standing in the middle of the floor encouraging an insurrection” when her supporters, who were protesting noisily from the gallery, were ordered to disperse.
Ms. Zephyr said she had raised her microphone toward the protesters to counter what she saw as an attempt by her fellow lawmakers to quell democracy. “As I raised my mic, I sought to amplify their voices in solidarity,” she said in a statement.
Ms. Zephyr has said she would not be silent as lawmakers consider bills that would harm transgender people. “I refuse to do so — I will always refuse to do so,” she said in a floor speech before the vote to punish her.
Source: The New York Times
