Zooey Zephyr, the only elected transgender Democrat in Montana, has not been authorized since Thursday to speak in the parliament of this state in the North of the United States, after being censored by the Republican majority for her opposition to a law banning treatment. to change sex to minors. The conservative majority in the House criticizes him for remarks deemed inappropriate.
Earlier in the week, Zooey Zephyr had felt that his colleagues should “be ashamed” of passing a law prohibiting the delivery of hormonal treatments to transgender minors to ensure their transition. “The next time (…) that you bow your head to pray, I hope you will see the blood on your hands”, had launched the elected official at the address of the Republicans who adopted this text. She believes that such laws push transgender people to commit suicide.
In a statement released Thursday evening, she explained that Parliament “refuses to authorize (her) to speak on any bill until the end of the legislative session”, unless she s ‘excuse. The elected official denounces a “fundamentally undemocratic decision” by these Republicans, intended to guarantee “silence as they suppress the rights of transgender and homosexual residents of Montana. »
New laws restricting the rights of transgender people
As of Tuesday, a group of 21 Republicans had signed a letter demanding the “censorship” of Zooey Zéphyr. In it, they refer to her using a masculine pronoun.
“I don’t censor anyone,” the conservative speaker of the local parliament, Matt Regier, assured Friday in an interview with MTN News. According to him, the rules of the House allow to withdraw the floor from an elected official who does not respect the protocol. “Any representative who wishes to debate with respect for the decorum, integrity and dignity of the House (…) will be recognized” as legitimate to speak, he added.
Since January, 29 new laws restricting the rights of transgender people have been passed in 14 US states, according to an analysis of data from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) published this week by the washington post.