Zooey Zephyr Sends Parting Message to Montana Republicans After Censure

Montana Representative Zooey Zephyr, who on Wednesday was banned from the House floor for the remainder of session after a tumultuous week, said the legislature is "removing 11,000 Montanans from discussion on every bill going forward" with the censure.

"I will always stand on behalf of my constituents, my community, and democracy itself," the Missoula Democrat said in a post on Twitter shortly after lawmakers voted to censure her for what Republicans deemed a breach of decorum.

With a vote of 68 to 32 in the GOP-dominated chamber, Zephyr was barred from the House and will not be allowed to debate or speak on legislation for the remainder of session, which ends next week.

While Zephyr will still be allowed to vote, she must do it remotely. The censure is the culmination of a chaotic week that included protests and seven people arrested for what supporters call the censorship of the first transgender woman to be elected to the state legislature.

Republican House Speaker Matt Regier on Thursday refused to allow Zephyr to speak or engage in debate, saying her comments about Senate Bill 99, which aims to ban gender-affirming care for minors, were a breach of decorum.

Newsweek has reached out via email to Zephyr and Regier for comment.

During debate on the legislation, Zephyr argued that by denying the care and forcing a trans youth to go through puberty would be "tantamount to torture, and this body should be ashamed."

It was her final remarks that angered House Republicans: "If you vote yes on this bill, I hope the next time you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands."

Zephyr was referring to studies finding that access to transgender health care can reduce the suicide rate of minors. Conservatives saw the comments as "hateful rhetoric," which prompted Regier to prohibit her from discussion and debate until she apologized, something she refused to do.

The refusal and uproar over her silencing sparked Wednesday's vote—a move Zephyr said was "a disturbing affront to democracy."

She defended her controversial comments, saying in a statement shared on Twitter that the GOP has launched a "relentless assault on the LGBTQ+ community, introducing bills that aim to undermine our art forms, our literature, our history, and our healthcare." Zephyr said her comments during the debate "exposed the grievous harm" such bills impose.

"Though the Republican supermajority has voted to strip me of my ability to partake in debate, I remain steadfast in my commitment to my community, Zephyr said in a statement shared on Twitter. "I will continue to make the difficult moral choices necessary to stand up for the people who entrusted me with their representation."

Regier, during a brief news conference on Tuesday at the statehouse, said the only person silencing Zephyr is herself.

"The Montana House will not be bullied," Regier said. "All 100 representatives will continue to be treated the same."

As anti-LGBTQ+ bills pop up across the country, Quinn Leighton with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana said the proposals are "disgraceful, heartless, and targeted attacks" on the community.

"Today we are witnessing the most unconscionable act of them all: Silencing and forbidding the presence of an elected official and the 11,000 Montanans that sent Rep. Zooey Zephyr to represent them," Leighton said in a statement to Newsweek.

While Zephyr has received an outpouring of support—from the protests Monday to a petition that garnered more than 3,000 signatures urging Regier to let her speak—many on Twitter also praised Republicans for their decision to censure her.

"They offered you an opportunity to apologize, and you doubled down instead," @Symbiotic_Love_ said in response to Zephyr's tweet. "You're supposed to be a professional; an elected representative, and you didn't act like it."