Dear John,
Montana Republicans have censored and disciplined Montana Representative Zooey Zephyr, barring her from the chamber simply for speaking her mind. Rep. Zephyr is the first openly transgender woman to be elected to the Montana House of Representatives. After several attempts by the Montana GOP to pass anti-trans bills over the last few weeks in session, Rep. Zephyr spoke passionately about the serious harm that any state legislation limiting or eliminating the rights of transgender people to seek gender-affirming care would cause. Now they're attempting to bar her from participating in the legislative session entirely.1
Montana Republicans are maliciously seeking to silence Rep. Zephyr. This anti-LGBTQ+ censorship needs to stop. Add your name if you agree.
Republicans claim it's because Rep. Zephyr used strong phrasing like "blood on your hands" and demanded that she apologize—but many Republicans have used this exact same language and rhetoric for years.2 They're only fighting back now because the words come from a transgender woman speaking openly about trans issues.
We cannot let Republicans' shameless transphobia and anti-trans agenda obstruct Rep. Zephyr's ability to speak out on behalf of her constituents.
Sign the Petition
Republicans have been blocking Rep. Zephyr from speaking since the end of April. But she is continuing to work for her constituents from a bench in the hallway outside the chamber.3 Montana Republicans are employing an identical strategy that Republicans did weeks ago in Tennessee, leveraging their super majorities in state legislatures to suppress dissent by punishing voices they disagree with—especially when those voices come from the very communities they aim to marginalize.
When they are under real pressure, instead of deciding to represent the will of the people, Republicans will try to silence our voices and take away our freedoms. But we cannot let this happen. People showed up to elect Rep. Zephyr last year, and because Republicans are blocking her from speaking, they’re effectively silencing the will and voices of thousands of her constituents.
Show your solidarity and demand the Montana GOP #LetHerSpeak.
Sign the Petition
Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.
Thanks for all you do.
–MoveOn
Sources:
1. "Montana House Bans Trans Lawmaker From Floor In Landslide Vote," Forbes, April 26, 2023
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/04/26/montana-house-bans-trans-lawmaker-from-floor-in-landslide-vote/?sh=4b7b7cd76d7f
2. "‘Blood on your hands’: Montana lawmaker’s words not unusual," AP News, April 27, 2023
https://apnews.com/article/montana-transgender-lawmaker-zooey-zephyr-e44017dee7bb3a86cc06eb407533cf4f
3. "A Transgender Lawmaker Is Exiled as Montana G.O.P. Flexes New Power," The New York Times, April 28, 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/27/us/montana-trans-legislature-zephyr.html
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
