HELENA, Mont. — Republicans in the Montana House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to formally punish Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, banning the transgender lawmaker from attending or speaking during floor sessions.
Zephyr, 34, was banned after she protested Republican leaders’ decisions earlier this week to silence her, NPR and The Associated Press reported.
The House voted 68-32 to censure Zephyr, ABC News reported. The vote also excludes Zephyr from being present in the House anteroom or gallery, The Washington Post reported.
The ban came after Zephyr, a Democrat from Missoula, told colleagues in a speech last week that they would “see the blood on your hands” over votes to ban gender-affirming medical care for children, according to the Billings Gazette.
Under the terms of the ban, Zephyr will still be allowed to vote remotely until the current session ends next week, NPR reported.
On Tuesday, Zephyr shared a letter she received from Republican leaders in the Montana House. The representatives told her that “a motion to act with respect to the conduct of Rep. Zephyr will be made on the House floor” Wednesday, according to the Post.
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Republican leaders have refused to recognize Zephyr on the floor and disabled the lawmaker’s microphone, the newspaper reported. In response, Zephyr and a group of supporters held a rally that resulted in seven arrests.
The bill Zephyr objected to, SB99, passed the House and is awaiting the signature of Gov. Greg Gianforte, who has said he supported the legislation, according to ABC News.
Zephyr’s punishment comes weeks after similar actions taken by Republicans in Tennessee, who unseated two Democrats who had protested gun violence following a mass killing at a private school in Nashville.
Rep. Kim Abbott, Montana’s Minority Leader, said she knew Republicans in the Montana House had the votes to pass a censure, but criticized the action as “the wrong choice,” the Post reported.
GOP lawmakers who voted for the censure said they were focusing on the basis of the violation, according to the newspaper.
Republican representatives focused on the basis of violation and what prompted it.
“We’re not wanting to ignore what happened nor are we wanting to overreact,” Rep. Terry Moore said. “It’s my opinion that the discipline proposed is fair and reasonable given the circumstances.”
House Speaker Matt Regier, one of the three Republican leaders who sent the letter to Zephyr, defended the vote, the Post reported.
“The choice to not follow House rules is one that Rep. Zephyr has made. The only person silencing Rep. Zephyr is Rep. Zephyr,” Regier said. “The Montana House will not be bullied. All 100 representatives will be treated the same.”
In a speech before Wednesday’s vote, Zephyr addressed Regier directly and said she was defending the LGBTQ+ community, her constituents in Missoula and “democracy itself,” the AP reported.
“If you use decorum to silence people who hold you accountable, then all you’re doing is using decorum as a tool of oppression,” Zephyr said.