The Montana Republican supermajority voted on April 26, 2023, to ban Zooey Zephyr from the House floor for the remainder of 2023. She must now attend meetings via zoom. All Zooey did was speak during her allotted time during a debate, about an issue that hits close to home for her because she is transgender herself. Zephyr said that Republican lawmakers will have "blood on their hands" if they are to pass a proposed bill on banning gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth in Montana. Because of the four words, "blood on their hands," Montana Republicans said Zephyr was in volitation of decorum rules. Because of this, Republicans voted to bar Zephyr from the state legislature grounds.
This comes only a few weeks after the Tennessee House voted to remove two Black Democratic men- Justin Jones and Justin Pearson- for standing and chanting with student activists protesting gun violence in the state. The Tennessee Republicans also cited that Jones and Pearson violated decorum rules. This is a new method of disenfranchising voters that Republican supermajorities in state legislatures are utilizing.
On May 1, 2023, Zoey Zephyr sued over her removal from the House floor. Your Daily Load will be covering this story as it continues to develop, subscribe today to get informed!
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