Joe.My.God. LGBT News
NPR reports:
Republicans, who dominate the Montana House of Representatives, have voted Wednesday to formally punish Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr.
Zephyr, who is transgender, has been blocked from speaking since last Tuesday when she told supporters of a bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors that she hoped they would see “blood on [their] hands.” There, she was alluding to studies that show that transgender health care can reduce suicidality in youth.
The formal punishment decided Wednesday bans Zephyr from attending or speaking during floor sessions. She will only be allowed to vote remotely in the remaining days of the legislative session. It’s a lesser punishment than expulsion, which was also on the table according to House leadership.
Read the full article. Watch her speech.
Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D) ahead of vote to bar her from the state House for the rest of the session:
“I have had friends who have taken their lives because of these bills … When I rose up and said, ‘There is blood on your hands,’ I was not being hyperbolic.” pic.twitter.com/cNZ3nTAVIx
— The Recount (@therecount) April 26, 2023
JUST IN: The Republican majority in Montana’s House of Representatives voted to bar transgender Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D) from the House floor, silencing her for the rest of the 2023 session. This comes after Zephyr spoke out against an anti-trans bill. pic.twitter.com/2zJN4yfGMJ
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 26, 2023
The Montana House Freedom Caucus said that Rep. Zooey Zephyr was “encouraging an insurrection” this week.
Just like Tennessee Republicans, it seems like the MT Freedom Caucus needs a refresher about what an insurrection actually looks like: pic.twitter.com/yOb4iG8qU7
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) April 26, 2023
Peaceful protests are part of a strong, vigorous democracy.
Violent insurrections to stop the peaceful transfer of power are not.
There’s no confusing the two. pic.twitter.com/C2JZqmfn87
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) April 26, 2023
Rep. Zooey Zephyr, Montana’s only transgender lawmaker, is facing censure or expulsion after raising a mic to protestors chanting, “Let her speak” on debates about gender-affirming care for minors https://t.co/dqzrc0trRO pic.twitter.com/K4mmWYz26A
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 26, 2023