ZOOEY ZEPHYR IS THE FIRST AND
ONLY TRANSGENDER LAWMAKER IN
MONTANA AND TOLD COLLEAGUES
LAST WEEK SHE HOPED WHEN THEY
BOW THEIR HEADS IN PRAYER THEY
WOULD SEE WHAT OTHER HAS.
REPUBLICANS DEMANDED SHE
APOLOGIZE WHILE DENYING HER THE
CHANCE TO SPEAK DURING DEBATE
THIS WEEK.
THEY ALSO ATTACKED HER BITE MISSED TENDERING HER.
MISSED TENDERING HER.
SOME PROTESTERS RALLIED. SHE
WAS ALLOWED TO SPEAK TODAY
RIGHT BEFORE THE HOUSE PASSED A
MEASURE TO BAN HER FROM SETTING
FOOT ON THE HOUSE FLOOR FOR THE
REST OF THE SESSION, BUT
PRESERVING HER ABILITY TO VOTE
REMOTELY.
>> WHEN I ROSE UP AND SAID
THERE IS BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS, I
WAS NOT BEING HYPERBOLIC.
I WAS SPEAKING TO THE REAL
CONSEQUENCES OF THE VOTES WE,
AS LEGISLATORS, TAKE IN THIS
BODY. WHEN THE SPEAKER ASKED ME
TO APOLOGIZE ON BEHALF OF OF
THE COURT, WHAT HE WAS REALLY
ASKING ME TO DO IS BE SILENT
WHEN MY COMMUNITY IS FACING
BILLS THAT GET US KILLED.
HE IS ASKING ME TO BE COMPLICIT
IN THE ERADICATION OF OUR
COMMUNITY.
I REFUSED TO DO SO, AND I WILL
ALWAYS REFUSE TO DO SO.
>> STATE REPRESENTATIVE ZOOEY
ZEPHYR JOINS ME NOW.
THANKS FOR COMING ON.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> LET ME START WITH TRYING TO
GET CLARIFICATION OF WHY YOU
WERE DENIED -- WHAT THE
PUNISHMENT IS FOR.
IS A FOR WHAT YOU SAID ON THE
HOUSE FOR LAST WEEK, OR IS IT
FOR THE PROTESTS THAT TOOK
PLACE IN SUPPORT OF YOUR RIGHT
TO SPEAK?
>> WHEN THE SPEAKER DENIED ME
THE ABILITY TO SPEAK, IN DOING
SO, HE SILENCE, NOT ONLY ME,
BUT THE NEARLY 11,000 MONTANANS
THAT I REPRESENT.
WHEN HE CONTINUE TO NINE ME THE
ABILITY TO SPEAK ABOUT MANY OF
THOSE MONTANANS CAME TO THE
HOUSE TO DEMAND THAT THEIR
REPRESENTATIVE THE GIVEN HER VOICE ON THE FLOOR.
VOICE ON THE FLOOR.
THEY TOOK ISSUE WITH MY SUPPORT
OF THE PEOPLE COMING AND
PROTESTING IN DEFENSE OF
DEMOCRACY.
>> DID THE SPEAKER EVER ASKED
TO MEET WITH YOU PRIVATELY?
DID YOU EVER HAVE A ONE-ON-ONE
WITH THE SPEAKER OR ANYTHING
LIKE THAT?
ANY PHONE CONVERSATION?
>> THERE WAS A BRIEF
CONVERSATION WHERE THE SPEAKER
ASKED IF I WOULD APOLOGIZE, AND
I SAID, AS I SAID TODAY, THESE
BILLS HAVE REAL IMPACT, AND I
WON'T APOLOGIZE.
HE SAID LATER THAT EVENING, I
WILL NO LONGER RECOGNIZE YOU ON
THE HOUSE FLOOR.
>> IS THERE A RULE IN THE
HOUSE, DOES THE SPEAKER HAVE
THAT KIND OF POWER?
OR DOES HE HAVE THAT KIND OF
POWER BECAUSE OF THE SUPER
MAJORITY?
>> THAT IS THE REAL CRUX OF THE
ISSUE.
THE IN EQUAL APPLICATION OF
RULES OF DECORUM.
THERE HAVE BEEN HEARINGS AND
MOMENTS ON THE FLOOR WHERE
LEGISLATORS HAVE SCREAMED.
LEGISLATORS HAVE INSINUATED
THAT MY VERY EXISTENCE IS
SOMEHOW SEXUALIZING CHILDREN.
WE OBJECT TO THAT, JUST LIKE
THE MAJORITY LEADER OBJECTED TO
MY COMMENTS. AND THEN THEY MOVE ON.
AND THEN THEY MOVE ON.
WE ARE ELECTED TO HAVE DEBATES
THAT CONSTITUENTS ELECTORS TO
DO SO.
>> DO YOU HAVE ANY RECOURSE?
>> I AM UNCERTAIN OF THE NEXT
STEPS ON THAT FRONT.
I WILL SAY, RIGHT NOW, I AM
FOCUSED ON MY ROLE AS A
LEGISLATOR BEING READY FOR
BILLS, MAKING SURE I HAVE WHAT
I WANT TO SAY ON THAT
LEGISLATION, AND THAT I AM READY
TO VOTE WORK ON BEHALF OF THE
CONSTITUENTS WHO ELECTED ME.
>> BUT YOU'RE ALLOWED TO DO
MUCH WORK HERE?
IT FEELS AS IF THEY LET YOU
VOTE REMOTELY, BUT YOU'RE NOT
ALLOWED TO -- ARE YOU ALLOWED
TO PARTICIPATE IN COMMITTEE
DEBATES REMOTELY?
>> THIS DECISION IS A DOUBLING DOWN OF THE SILENCING OF 11,000
DOWN OF THE SILENCING OF 11,000 MONTANANS.
EVERY TIME A BILL IS UP ON THE
HOUSE FLOOR FOR THE REMAINDER
OF THE SESSION, BUDGET BILLS,
HOUSING BILLS, ET CETERA, THERE
WILL BE 11,000 MONTANANS WHOSE
VOICES WEREN'T HEARD IN THE
DEBATE.
THAT SAID, I WILL WORK BEHIND
THE SCENES WITH MY COLLEAGUES
TO MAKE SURE THE POINTS I WANT
TO MAKE ARE MADE ON THE FLOOR.
>> I THINK THERE ARE SOME
CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES HERE,
EQUAL PROTECTION, ALL OF THOSE
THINGS, LET ALONE, YOUR FIRST
AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO A LAWYER
ABOUT THIS?
>> I AM BEGINNING TO LOOK INTO
THINGS ON THAT FRONT.
THERE ARE CONSTITUTIONAL
PROTECTIONS, PARTICULARLY THAT
WE ARE GRANTED THE RIGHT TO
MAKE SURE WE'RE HAVING THE HARD
CONVERSATIONS THAT CONSTITUENTS ELECTED US TO HAVE.
ELECTED US TO HAVE.
>> ARE ANY OF THESE LEGISLATORS
THAT DID VOTE TO BAN YOU, HAVE
ANY OF THEM REACHED OUT
PRIVATELY WITH ANY REGRETS?
DID YOU HAVE ANY WORKING
RELATIONSHIP WITH REPUBLICANS
ACROSS THE AISLE?
>> I HAVE HAD WORKING
RELATIONSHIPS WITH REPUBLICANS
ACROSS THE AISLE ON AN ARRAY OF
ISSUES.
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY WHO HAVE EXPRESSED THAT THEY REALLY LIKE
EXPRESSED THAT THEY REALLY LIKE
THAT THERE PARTY WAS ATTACKING
-- THEY DIDN'T REALLY LIKE THE
ATTACKING THE TRANS, BUT
THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT THE
PRIMARIES.
WHEN IT CAME TO VOTES, THEY
FOUND THEMSELVES ON THE WRONG
SIDE OF DEMOCRACY.
>> WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE YOU
FEEL LIKE YOU ARE RECEIVING
FROM MONTANANS?
THERE IS SUCH A PERCEPTION, I
CAN TELL YOU, MY PERCEPTION OF
MONTANA IS A LIBERTARIAN PLACE.
THAT IS WHITE PEOPLE LIKE
LIVING IN MONTANA.
LIVE AND LET LIVE.
BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT THESE
ACTIONS LOOK LIKE.
>> MONTANA DOES HAVE A LIVE AND
LET LIVE MINDSET WITH A HISTORY
OF PROGRESSIVE IDEOLOGY. WE
ELECTED THE FIRST WOMAN TO CONGRESS.
CONGRESS.
WE ARE ONE OF THE FIRST STATES.
I HAVE HAD A TON OF MESSAGES
FROM CONSTITUENTS, NOT JUST
LGBTQ PEOPLE AND ALLIES, BUT
CONSERVATIVES WHO SAY, I MAY
DISAGREE WITH YOU, BUT WHAT THE
FAR RIGHT IS DOING IN THE STATE
IS FUNDAMENTALLY OPPOSED TO THE
IDEALS OF DEMOCRACY.
>> HAVE YOU HEARD FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE OR NATIONAL
DEMOCRATS?
>> I SPOKE RECENTLY WITH LAWMAKERS IN TENNESSEE WHO WERE
LAWMAKERS IN TENNESSEE WHO WERE
EXPELLED FOR STANDING UP. I
SPOKE WITH THEM ABOUT WHAT IT
TAKES TO STAND UP IN THESE
MOMENTS AND HOW TO VOTE FIGHT
FOR OUR COUNTRY TO MAKE SURE.
>> THE GOVERNOR OF UTAH, ONE OF
THE REASONS HE VETOED ONE OF
THESE EARLY BILLS, HE SAID HE
WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE
STATISTICS THAT SHOWED THE
HIGHER SUICIDE RATES AMONG
TRANS TEENS, PARTICULARLY IF
THEY ARE MADE TO FEEL
UNACCEPTED, IF YOU WILL.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH MODERATE REPUBLICANS?
>>> YES, BOTH THE STATISTICS AND
AS I MENTIONED ON THE FLOO
TODAY, REAL STORIES OF THE
FAMILY IN MONTANA WHOSE TRAN
TEENAGER ATTEMPTED SUICIDE WHILE
WATCHING ONE OF THE ANTI-TRANS
HEARINGS
SO I'VE HAD THOSE REAL
CONVERSATIONS WITH MODERAT
REPUBLICANS.
THE STRUGGLE RIGHT NOW, WHEN YOU
HAVE THE SUPER MAJORITY OF
REPUBLICANS IN MONTANA
PARTICULARLY FAR-RIGHT
REPUBLICANS, WHAT HAPPENS IS YOU
NEED 19 VOTES.
IF YOU ONLY GET SEVEN OR EIGHT
THESE HARMFUL BILLS STILL PASS
S.
>> STATE REPRESENTATIVE ZOOE
ZEPHYR, A DEMOCRAT FROM MONTANA.
THIS HAS BEEN QUITE A WEEK
QUITE A MONTH, BUT WE WILL B