Montana House to consider disciplinary action against transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr over protest

The Montana House of Representatives on Wednesday will consider imposing “disciplinary consequences” against Rep. Zooey Zephyr after the transgender lawmaker raised her microphone in the statehouse as protesters chanted, “Let her speak” during debate over a measure banning gender-affirming care for minors. 

“I have been informed that during tomorrow’s floor session there will be a motion to either censure or expel me,” Zephyr wrote in a tweet on Tuesday. 

“I’ve also been told I’ll get a chance to speak. I will do as I have always done — rise on behalf of my constituents, in defense of my community, & for democracy itself,” the 34-year-old lawmaker added. 

Zephyr, who is the first openly transgender woman elected to Montana’s legislature, has been barred from speaking on the House floor by Republican state House Speaker Matt Regier until she apologizes for an April 18 jab at her colleagues who voted in favor of the ban on gender-affirming care. 

“The only thing I will say is if you to 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 declared on the House floor last week. 

She has refused to apologize.

On Monday, riot police descended on the Capitol Building after protesters disrupted proceedings in support of Zephyr, who stood and repeatedly thrusted her microphone into the air as the demonstrators in the gallery chanted. 

Seven people were arrested and it took authorities nearly half an hour to quell the disruption which brought Monday’s session to a halt. 

“Notice is hereby provided to the House of Representatives of the 68th Legislature that at 1:00 PM on April 26, 2023, a motion to act with respect to the conduct of Representative Zephyr will be made on the House floor,” Regier’s letter sent to Zephyr and other members of the legislature on Tuesday states. 

In the missive he explains that the body will “determine if [Zephyr’s] conduct on the Floor of the House on April 24, 2023 violated the rules, collective rights, safety, dignity, integrity, or decorum of the House of Representatives, and if so, whether to impose disciplinary consequences for those actions.” 

Wednesday’s session will be closed to the public for safety reasons and to prevent a repeat of Monday’s disruption, according to Regier. 

“To maintain decorum and ensure safety, the galleries in the House will be closed. The public will be able to observe the proceedings on the Legislative Branch website, or from a committee room with televised public viewing,” he said.