A transgender member of the Montana State House who has been prevented by his fellow Republicans to debate a bill in the House of Representatives that would ban gender-affirming care for minors announced Tuesday night that it will be subject to a disciplinary vote on Wednesday.
State Rep. Zooey Zephyr posted a letter to his Twitter account that he received from House Republican leaders Tuesday night, which states that a motion will be tabled on the House floor Wednesday afternoon to determine whether Zephyr’s “actions” during a rally on Monday in his name require “disciplinary consequences.”
The House will be asked to “determine” whether Zephyr’s “conduct” on the House floor Monday “violated the rules, collective rights, security, dignity, integrity or decorum of the House,” the letter, which was later posted on the Montana Legislature website: read. The motion is scheduled to be considered at 1 pm Pacific time.
Zephyr tweeted that she could be censored or expelled, and that she will be given “a chance to speak.”
The letter states that the Chamber galleries would be closed to the public to “maintain decorum and ensure security,” but that “proceedings” can be viewed online through the “Legislative Branch website.”
This follows an interview with CBS News Tuesday night in which Zephyr said he sees similarities between his fellow lawmakers’ treatment of him and that of the “Tennessee Three.”
“There’s no question there are connections,” state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, speaking from Helena, told CBS News, comparing her situation to what in tennessee earlier this month, in which two of three Tennessee state legislators who had participated in a gun violence protest on the House floor, following the Nashville school massacre – were expelled in a vote. Both have since been re-elected.
“I think what we’re seeing is when marginalized communities, communities that are most affected by the legislation, stand up and speak out about the harm, whether it’s me speaking out about trans issues, whether it’s black youth speaking out about violence navy. Those people in power, particularly on the far right, don’t want to be held accountable for the real damage these bills bring.”
Amy Beth Hanson/AP
The 34-year-old Democrat has not been allowed to speak in the state House since declaring on April 18 that lawmakers who voted to ban gender-affirming care would have “blood on their hands.”
Since then, Republican House Speaker Matt Regier has refused to allow Zephyr to speak unless he apologized for his comments, which Zephyr indicated Tuesday he would not do.
“If I were to do it again, I would stand by what I said, because, again, I see the damage that these bills bring,” he told CBS News.
On Monday, seven people they were arrested by riot police for protesting on the House chambers in support of Zephyr, demanding that she be allowed to speak, while dozens more rallied on the steps of the state Capitol.
Regier called the arrests a “dark day for Montana” in a brief news conference Tuesday. before canceling the Tuesday afternoon session of the House, but without providing a reason.
“The headlines that have been going around over the past week claiming someone has been silenced by the leadership of the Montana House of Representatives or the Republican Party are false,” Regier said. “Currently, all representatives are free to participate in House debates as long as they follow House rules. The decision not to follow House rules is a decision made by Rep. Zephyr. The only person who silences the Zephyr representative is the Zephyr representative. The House of Montana will not be intimidated. The 100 representatives will continue to receive the same treatment.”
Zephyr on Tuesday challenged Regier’s accusations that he had broken decorum with his earlier comments.
“We are chosen to have the tough conversations,” he told CBS News. “And we’ve had people on the other side yell at their shutdowns, we’ve had people insinuate that my very existence somehow sexualizes children. And we objected. And then we move on. Because that is what we are elected as representatives for. Talk about bills.
State Senate Bill 99 initially passed the Republican-controlled legislature late last month, but Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte returned it to the legislature with some proposed changes. Those changes were approved by both chambers last week, and the bill has been returned to Gianforte’s desk for his signature.
