Montana transgender bathroom bill fails – Washington Examiner
Montana lawmakers recently voted against a proposed bathroom bill that would have restricted transgender lawmakers from using the restrooms matching their gender identity.the proposal was especially seen as targeting Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the state’s only transgender legislator. Introduced by Republican Rep. Jerry Schillinger, the bill aimed to mandate that lawmakers use facilities corresponding to their biological sex. Although it passed the state Senate, it failed to clear the state House Rules committee, aligning with actions taken in other places to oppose similar measures. This decision reflects a growing sentiment among lawmakers in Montana to reject legislation perceived as discriminatory against transgender individuals.
Montana bill requiring lawmakers to use bathroom of biological sex fails
A bill from Montana legislators that would require transgender lawmakers to use the bathroom of their biological sex failed to pass the state House Rules Committee.
Montana has just one transgender state lawmaker, Democrat Zooey Zephyr. The bathroom bill, introduced by Republican state Rep. Jerry Schillinger, was introduced shortly after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced an identical bill in Congress, after the first transgender member, Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE), was elected in November.
Schillinger’s bill passed the state Senate Rules Committee with an 11-7 vote in favor but was shot down in the House Rules Committee with a 12-10 vote against.
Schillinger argued at a joint committee meeting that the bill “says what probably shouldn’t need to be said and puts into rules what probably shouldn’t need to be put into rules.”
GOP state Rep. David Bedey was one of four Republicans on the House Rules Committee to vote against the measure, arguing that it would draw unneeded attention.
“This particular action will have the effect of making people famous in the national news and will not contribute to the effective conduct of our business,” he said before the vote Tuesday.
Zephyr celebrated the defeat of the bill on X.
“I’m happy to see that this proposed ban failed and am grateful for my colleagues—particularly my republican colleagues—who recognized this as a distraction from the work we were elected to do,” the Montana Democrat said. “I’m ready to represent my constituents & look forward to working on behalf of Montana.”
Zephyr garnered national attention in April 2023, when the lawmaker denounced a bill that would ban cross-sex hormone treatments and sex reassignment surgeries for minors. Zephyr claimed that passing the bill was “tantamount to torture” and that if Republicans passed the bill, they would have “blood on your hands.”
Zephyr was prevented from speaking afterward, leading to riotous protests from the lawmaker’s supporters. The state House denounced the behavior as an attack on civil discourse and voted to censure Zephyr in the aftermath.
Zephyr’s appeal of the censure was denied by Judge Mike Menahan of the state’s 1st District Court, a Democrat and former representative, who said in a five-page response letter that he did not have the authority to intervene in the legislative dispute.
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