A member of the Montana House of Representatives who claims to be transgender will not be permitted to speak on the House floor until he apologizes for comments he made during the discussion of a bill to ban irreversible gender surgeries for children in the state.
Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr expressed opposition to a bill that would prevent minors from undergoing surgeries or from taking hormones.
The bill, SB 99, will also ban doctors from prescribing children puberty blockers.
If it becomes law, the bill will also set strict legal definitions for who classifies as both male and female.
In the bill, a female is classified as someone with XX chromosomes while a male is someone with XY chromosomes.
As Montana lawmakers discussed an amendment to the bill Tuesday, Zephyr attacked his Republican colleagues.
During the attack, the far-left Democrat insulted a prayer that began the day’s floor session.
“The only thing I will say is if you vote ‘yes’ on this bill and ‘yes’ on these amendments, I hope the next time there’s an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands,” Zephyr said.
Rep Zooey Zephyr of Missoula said the following when debating SB99 Amendments.
“The only thing I will say is if you vote yes on this bill and yes on these amendments I hope the next time there’s an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands.” pic.twitter.com/wuhlympbLq
— Montana Freedom Caucus (@MTFreedomCaucus) April 18, 2023
Should lawmakers be silenced for breaching decorum?
Yes: 90% (35 Votes)
No: 10% (4 Votes)
In response to Zephyr’s incendiary comments, Republican House Speaker Matt Regier announced he would not recognize Zephyr on the House floor until an official apology for the remarks was made, The Montana Free Press reported.
“It is up to me to maintain decorum here on the House floor, to protect the dignity and integrity, and any representative I don’t feel can do that will not be recognized,” Regier said.
Regier later made the decision not to recognize the Missoula Democrat until either an apology is made or until this year’s session expires, whichever comes first.
Zephyr said he would not apologize in a statement in which he said he represented “trans and queer Montanans.”
Democrats who were sympathetic to Zephyr’s claims that children are entitled to irreversible gender surgeries objected to the decision.
A House Rules Committee vote on the matter affirmed Regier was acting within the parameters of his office.
Montana Freedom Caucus Chairwoman Theresa Manzella later told The Washington Examiner that some lawmakers considered Zephyr’s comments to be threatening in nature, citing a school shooting in Tennessee last month that was carried out by a transgender shooter.
“Some Montana Legislators considered the comments a threat, and in light of recent events at Covenant Christian School in Nashville, Rep. Zephyr needs to offer a reasonable explanation for his ‘blood on your hands’ comment,” Manzella told the outlet.
On his Twitter page, Zephyr describes himself as both “bi” and “trans.”
