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Post by Poor Richard on Apr 26, 2023 8:27:04 GMT -7
AP reports "Montana Republican leaders will vote Wednesday on censuring or expelling lawmaker Zooey Zephyr, a transgender state representative who has been silenced in the House since last week after telling colleagues that if they voted for a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender children they would “have blood on their hands.”
On Tuesday night, Zephyr tweeted a letter she received from House leaders informing her of the plan to consider disciplinary action against her during Wednesday’s session.
“I’ve also been told I’ll get a chance to speak,” Zephyr tweeted. “I will do as I have always done — rise on behalf of my constituents, in defense of my community and for democracy itself.”
Montana’s House speaker canceled Tuesday’s floor session without explanation, the latest development in a standoff over whether Montana Republicans will let the lawmaker from Missoula speak unless she apologizes for her remarks last week on a gender-affirming care ban proposal."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Poor Richard on Apr 26, 2023 20:22:59 GMT -7
Montana House votes to bar transgender Representative from House floor KBZK reports "A Democratic state representative from Missoula will not be allowed on the Montana House floor for the remaining two weeks of the legislative session, after Republicans in the House voted to discipline her for her actions during a disruptive protest this week.
“If you use decorum to silence people who hold you accountable, then all you are doing is using decorum as a tool of oppression,” said Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, speaking in her defense ahead of the House’s vote on Wednesday."
Read the full story here. |
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Post by Poor Richard on Apr 27, 2023 10:35:09 GMT -7
Silenced transgender Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr vows to keep fighting for constituents Fox News reports "Despite being silenced in Montana's legislature, Rep. Zooey Zephyr has vowed to keep fighting.
Zephyr, a Democratic lawmaker who identifies as a transgender woman, said she's confident critics have only amplified her message to those in her district and across the country despite her colleagues voting to censure her from the legislative chamber.
"There are many more eyes on Montana now," Zephyr told The Associated Press. "But you do the same thing you’ve always done. You stand up in defense of your community and you... stand for the principles that they elected you to stand for."
Zephyr is undeterred, however, and said she aims to continue doing the job she was elected to do: representing her constituents."
Read the full article here. |
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Post by Poor Richard on May 2, 2023 6:36:33 GMT -7
ACLU files legal challenge to disciplinary action against Rep. Zephyr KBZK reports "The ACLU of Montana, State Representative Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, and residents of Montana House District 100 are seeking to challenge the disciplinary action taken against her by the Montana House of Representatives.
The lawsuit, filed in the Montana First District Court in Lewis and Clark County, alleges that recent actions taken by House leadership “silence” Zephyr and infringe on her constitutional rights.
“By depriving Representative Zephyr of her right to freely engage with the legislative process, Defendants have also deprived her 11,000 constituents of the right to full representation in their government,” the lawsuit alleges.
Last week, the Republican supermajority of the House voted to bar Zephyr from the House Floor, gallery and antechamber for the remainder of the 68th Session. The Montana Constitution gives the House the authority to “expel or punish a member for good cause” if two-thirds of the chamber agrees. All 68 GOP members supported the motion. All 32 Democrats voted no.
Zephyr is allowed to participate remotely in floor sessions through the end of the session, but only to vote – not to speak.
This disciplinary action is the culmination of an issue that began last month, when House Speaker Rep. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, decided on several consecutive days not to recognize Zephyr on the floor. Regier said he was concerned Zephyr, a transgender woman, would not maintain decorum, after she said lawmakers should be ashamed and would have “blood on your hands” over a bill that would ban gender-affirming medical procedures for transgender youth.
On Monday, April 24, demonstrators protesting Regier’s decision shouted and chanted “Let her speak!” in the House gallery, disrupting a debate on the floor. Throughout the protest, Zephyr remained at her desk, holding her microphone over her head.
“I raised my microphone to amplify their voices, to make sure that the people who elected me here are heard – and that when this body seeks to pass bills that harm our community, that get us killed, that this body is held accountable,” Zephyr said before the disciplinary vote on Wednesday.
Regier said he saw this disciplinary motion as a fair response, saying Zephyr would still be able to participate and vote on behalf of her constituents. However, some action needed to be taken to ensure similar actions to the protest doesn’t happen again.
“It is me as the speaker, just protecting the dignity and safety and integrity of the House no matter what – no matter what happens,” he told reporters. “We can't have that kind of behavior on the floor moving forward.”
House Minority Leader Rep. Kim Abbott, D-Helena, condemned the disciplinary action saying the motion was an “extreme action” that could have been avoided.
“I will just say that this is beyond our rules, and this is about a broader principle of representative democracy,” she said. “There are other avenues to maintain order, and they chose to ignore those avenues and to take this one.”
During the debate on the floor regarding the disciplinary action, Abbott did note she believed the House did have the power to take these actions against Zephyr but believed they were wrong.
“I agree that you absolutely can do this. By rule, by the constitution, by [Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure], but just because you can do it does not mean that is the right choice,” said Abbott.
Zephyr also serves on the House Human Services and House Judiciary committees. Since the disciplinary vote, the vast majority of bills that had been in those committees have been blasted to the floor or transferred to other committees, and meetings of the committees canceled. House Judiciary did reconvene on Monday to discuss bills related to an interim study which Zephyr was present for.
Editor's Note: MTN's Senior Political Reporter Jonathon Ambarian contributed to this report." |
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Post by Poor Richard on May 2, 2023 17:30:39 GMT -7
Montana judge rejects effort by transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr to return to state House floor Fox News reports "A Tuesday court ruling in Montana will prohibit Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender lawmaker, from returning to the state House floor after she was censured by Republicans after telling them they would have blood on their hands for opposing gender surgery for kids.
The ruling by District Court Judge Mike Menahan came after lawyers for the state of Montana asked a judge to reject Zephyr's request to return. Menahan said he didn't have the authority to overrule the Legislature and return Zephyr to the House floor.
His five-page ruling said the move "would require this court to interfere with legislative authority in a manner that exceeds this court’s authority.""
Read the full story here. |
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