A Democratic transgender lawmaker was barred from participating in discussions in the Montana state legislature after she criticized Republicans over a bill that bans providing gender-affirming care to transgender minors. Representative Zooey Zephyr, the state's first transgender lawmaker, told her colleagues, "If you vote yes on this bill, I hope that the next time you pray and bow your heads, you see the blood on your hands."
Republican lawmakers objected to Zephyr's remarks, addressing her in a statement on Twitter as a male rather than a woman. The Republican-led chamber, which has a majority of 68 out of 100 seats, informed Zephyr that "she will not be allowed to speak until she apologizes for her comments." The bill that was later passed prohibits minors in the state from receiving puberty-blocking medications or undergoing gender-affirming surgeries.
