Lawmaker Barred from Montana House Over ‘Blood in Hands’ Remark
Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the first openly transgender woman elected in the Montana legislature, has been banned from the state House for the rest of the year’s session — scheduled to end next week — after she said that lawmakers who support a bill banning transgender care for minors have “blood on (their) hands.” She was censured on a 68-32 vote Wednesday. She’ll keep her seat would be able to vote remotely, but won’t be able to take part in debates.
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The discliplinary action stated when Zephyr said during the debate on the bill that: "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.” The statement last week prompted Republican Speaker Matt Regier to block her from speaking during a debate on a separate bill aiming to put a binary definition of male and female into the state code.
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Zephyr’s supporters rallied in the House’s gallery on Monday demanding to “let her speak.” Seven people were arrested in the protest, but the lawmaker said it was peaceful.
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“I rose up in defense of my community that day, speaking to harms that these bills bring and that I have first-hand experience knowing about. I have friends that have taken their lives because of these bills.”.
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Montana House Majority Leader Sue Vinton, who sponsored the resolution, said Zephyr had “encouraged the continuation of the disruption of this body, placing legislators, staff and even our pages at the risk of harm... Freedom in this body involves obedience to all the rules of this body, including the rules of decorum.”
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