Republicans in the Montana House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to ban Democrat Rep. Zooey Zephyr from the floor, anteroom, and gallery for the rest of the 68th legislative session, after the transgender lawmaker allegedly egged on rioters during a protest in the statehouse.
Zephyr had been blocked from speaking since April 19, when he told supporters of SB99, a bill banning sex-change procedures on minors, that he hoped they would see “blood on [their] hands.”
“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.
Republican state House Speaker Matt Regier told Zephyr he would be blocked from speaking until he apologized for the impropriety.
On April 24, three days after Zephyr was banned from speaking, a pro-trans mob showed up to protest the Republican’s decision, chanting, “Let her speak.”
BREAKING: The Montana House of Reps has been shut down by left-wing protesters who are there protesting the censure of transgender Democrat Rep. Zooey Zephyr, that was led by the @MTFreedomCaucus, for telling his Republican colleagues they have "blood on their hands" for passing… pic.twitter.com/MnOyO4FhlN
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 24, 2023
Zephyr, meanwhile, was standing in the middle of the room holding up a microphone as the Speaker kept denying him the ability to speak. pic.twitter.com/5G3WZVxkjB
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 24, 2023
Police in riot gear entered the House chamber and forcefully removed protesters, arresting seven of them.
Left-winger protesters in Montana get mad at a police officer for calling a protester arrested for shutting down the House of Reps “her” instead of “they”
pic.twitter.com/LDsIPVNUM1— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 24, 2023
The Montana Freedom Caucus (MFC) was the first to call for Zephyr to be censored, saying the lawmaker “helped incite and extend the rioting of far-left agitators on April 24 by failing to follow the directions to vacate the House floor.” MFC said Zephyr showed a “flagrant disregard for the safety and wellbeing of staff and fellow representatives by encouraging the far left rioters to continue.”
“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.
On Wednesday, MFC applauded The Montana House Republicans for removing Zephyr from the House floor for the remainder of the legislative session.
BREAKING: The Montana House of Representatives has officially voted to REMOVE transgender Rep. Zooey Zephyr from the House Floor for the remainder of the 68th Legislative Session. #mtpol pic.twitter.com/PQfWtAmwDW
— Montana Freedom Caucus (@MTFreedomCaucus) April 26, 2023
As of 2021, there have reportedly been 77 “transgender,” “non-binary,” or “intersex” individuals elected to public office in the United States, including Minnesota State Rep. Leigh Finke, who recently introduced a bill that would remove the exclusion of pedophiles from the protected class of “sexual orientation.” In effect, Finke’s bill would make it illegal to discriminate against child rapists.
Update:
Montana Talks’ deep dive into Zephyr’s disturbing background:
THREAD:
1/
Transgender-identifying Montana House member "Zooey Zephyr" became a media celebrity when he accused the MT GOP of "having blood on their hands" after passing a bill to block genital and hormonal mutilation of children.
But who IS "Zooey Zephyr?"– Let's discuss pic.twitter.com/FSzkRVEAVq
— Jeremy Carl (@jeremycarl4) April 27, 2023