"Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr faces political silencing and attacks"

Despite being barred from the floor of the Montana House of Representatives for speaking out against a gender-affirming healthcare ban, Zooey Zephyr, the first transgender lawmaker in state history, hasn't lost hope. Republican lawmakers passed a set of bills banning gender-affirming care, drag performances, and writing the very existence of trans, non-binary, and intersex people out of the state code. In the face of this onslaught of bills, activists and lawmakers alike in Montana leapt into action, including Rep Zephyr. The battle for societal acceptance doesn’t move according to a legislative calendar, and for Representative Zooey Zephyr, the work of making Montana a safe, democratic place for LGBTQ+ people to live and thrive continues apace.