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Republicans voted to bar Zephyr from speaking on the floor of the state legislature in 2023 after she said that conservatives' ban on gender-affirming care for youth would result in “blood on [their] hands.”
Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr has won her reelection campaign, and will be allowed to return to the House of Representatives floor nearly two years after being sanctioned by Republicans.
Zephyr, a Democrat who is an out transgender woman, defeated Republican Barbara Starmer in her majority-Democrat district, which encompasses the college town of Missoula.
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"It is an honor to have been re-elected to the Montana House of Representatives," Zephyr said on social media after her win. "And I promise to do as I have always done: fight for my constituents, stand up against those who seek to break democracy, and be a bulwark against the rising tide of American fascism."
Republicans voted to bar Zephyr from speaking on the floor of the state legislature in 2023 after she said that conservatives' ban on gender-affirming care for youth would result in “blood on [their] hands.” GOP lawmakers demanded an apology, which Zephyr told The Advocate at the time that she would refuse to give because none was warranted.
Zephyr's supporters held a protest in the gallery in the days following her sanction, during which they drowned out legislators with chants of “Let her speak." The demonstration resulted in the arrests of several people.
Zephyr shortly after sued the state and legislative leaders to regain entry, stating that the censure was a violation of her right to free speech. A district court judge later dismissed the lawsuit, upholding her ban from the House floor, anteroom, and gallery for the remainder of the session. Now, Zephyr will enter a new session, and be allowed to return with all legislative privileges reinstated.
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Zephyr previously told The Advocate that Republicans silenced her because she challenged them, noting: “You have to demand silence. And when you don’t get it, you’ll attack democracy.”
“If the legislature had a different path, I would be doing what I’m trying to do now, which is find rooms that I can be good in, do good in them,” she said.
