Transgender Legislator Zooey Zephyr Sues Montana House Republicans Over Censure

Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr is taking legal action against the state, House Speaker Matt Regier, and Sergeant at Arms Bradley Murfitt of the Montana House of Representatives after being censured by House Republicans.

According to the 34-year-old legislator, these measures infringe on both her constitutional rights and the rights of her "11,000 constituents" to fair representation, per ABC News.

Zooey Zephyr underlined in a tweet on Monday, May, that Montana House Speaker Regier is not the only one who represents the people of Montana in the State House.

The lawmaker is requesting that her legislative responsibilities and rights be reinstated, according to Forbes.

Zooey Zephyr claims that the Republican leadership disregarded her attempts to vote against a prohibition on gender-affirming treatment for transgender children in April, which is the cause of her expulsion.

The lawsuit was filed just days after the Republican-led House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to bar Zooey Zephyr, the state's first transgender lawmaker, from speaking on the House floor for the rest of the legislative session because she took part in demonstrations against a bill that would have restricted gender-affirming care for children.

Thursday, Republicans moved several bills out of my committees, preventing me from representing my constituents not only on the floor, but in committee.

The (D) vice-chair of Judiciary called out their actions.

The next day, Republicans scheduled new hearings in my committees. pic.twitter.com/OKrgXgDAc8
— Rep. Zooey Zephyr (@ZoAndBehold) May 1, 2023

Censure Threatens Democracy

Zephyr criticized the sanctions in a statement on Monday, calling them a "disturbing and terrifying affront" to the democratic system.

The Montana House leadership rejected the rights of her constituents "to just representation in their own government" and deliberately attacked her, according to Zooey Zephyr.

In order to oppose the state law that first inspired Zooey Zephyr's demonstrations against a prohibition on gender-affirming treatment for kids, she has linked up with the American Civil Liberties Union.

In addition, the complaint names Dean Chou, Anna Wong, Brady Schwertfeger, and Sarah Velk as plaintiffs. These four people all live in Zephyr's Montana district, according to Axios.