Law enforcement officers escorted Zephyr’s supporters from the gallery above the house floor, including several by force. Seven were arrested for criminal trespass, the sheriff said. They would be booked and released.
The disruption angered Republican leaders, who described it as a “riot” and an “insurgency”.
Leaders cut the sound of the video feed and Zephyr remained on the floor with her microphone as supporters also chanted, “Whose house? Our house!” The sergeant-at-arms asked Zephyr to help sort things out — a request she said she declined.
Zephyr did not back down after lawmakers reconvened. She told The Associated Press that she went to the county jail with the arrested protesters. She tweeted that she went there to “show support for those who were arrested defending democracy”.
Prohibition supporters viewed Zephyr’s admonition as unprecedented and personal, but most have refrained from commenting publicly.
The House leadership declined to comment to journalists on Monday, but issued a statement saying they “condemn violence and will always stand for civil debate and respect for our government processes.”
“Today’s uproar by far-left agitators damages our discourse and puts lawmakers and staff at risk. Their actions did not represent Montana’s values,” House Speaker Matt Regier, Speaker pro tempore Rhonda Knudsen and Majority Leader Sue Vinton said in the statement.
The conservative Montana Freedom Caucus, which called for Zephyr’s censure following her comments last week, issued a statement condemning the actions of “the violent protesters” at the Capitol. It said a small minority disrupted the business of the legislature, demonstrating “why we must uphold the rules of decency when we are part of a public debate.”
“Zephyr encouraged these actions by standing in the middle of the floor and encouraging an uprising after all members were ordered to move to the sides”, and those in the gallery were told to leave. The caucus, which includes 21 of the legislature’s 102 Republican legislators, called for immediate disciplinary action against Zephyr.
Zephyr and her supporters say her statements accurately illustrate the stakes of the debated legislation, arguing that restricting gender-affirming care puts transgender youth at risk, whom studies suggest are at greater risk for depression and suicide.
Speaking from the steps of the Capitol earlier in the day, Zephyr told supporters she planned to continue to speak out strongly against legislation that deems members of the transgender community, including herself, a matter of life and death.
“I was sent here to speak on behalf of my constituents and my community. It’s the promise I made when I was elected, and it’s a promise I will keep every day,” Zephyr said.
She also linked the transgender community’s struggle against gender-affirming care bans to political battles animating other marginalized groups in the United States.
“If those communities that see the repercussions of those laws have the guts to stand up and say, ‘This legislation is killing us,’ those in power aren’t content to pass those hateful, harmful laws,” she said . “What they demand is silence. We will not be complicit in our extermination,” she said.
Those in attendance held messages of support, cheered and waved Pride flags.
After the meeting, a 21-year-old burst into tears when he told Zephyr about his fear of coming out as transgender in his small southwestern Montana town. Others hugged the legislator, thanked her for fighting and apologized for having to.
Katy Spence, a voter who drove in from Missoula, said the standoff was about censoring ideas, not decency.
“She’s been silenced for speaking the truth about what these anti-trans laws are doing in Montana — especially to trans youth,” Spence said.
The standoff is the latest example of emerging debates about civility, decorum, and how to discuss political issues that many consider life and death.
Zephyr was silenced And intentionally misunderstood by some Republican lawmakers in response to her indictment last week. Republican leaders have demanded she apologize and said they will not speak to any legislator they don’t trust to uphold decency — regardless of party or gender. Misgendering is using pronouns that do not match a person’s gender identity.
Months after Zephyr de first openly transgender woman elected to the Montana legislaturethe state joined one long list of legislators implementing new restrictions for transgender children. Proposals this year addressed issues ranging from the health care they can access to the sports teams they can play on to the names they can use.
While proceedings have become heated in more than a dozen state houses, Republican efforts to dissuade Zephyr from speaking have brought renewed attention to such legislative battles.
Lawmakers last week approved the gender-affirming healthcare ban, and Gianforte has indicated that he will sign it.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal have vowed to challenge it in court before it takes effect in October.
