On Tuesday, a judge rejected a Montana lawmaker’s request for a court order enabling her to get back to the House of Representatives after being expelled due to her remarks on transgender matters.
Rep. Zooey Zephyr was expelled last week from the Republican-controlled chamber for passionate remarks she made opposing a ban on hormone therapy and surgical care for transgender youngsters. Republicans tried to quiet her during discussions of other bills in response to her comments, which resulted in demonstrations and arrests.
Zooey Zephyr Fighting To Return To The House Floor
Zooey Zephyr, a transgender Democrat from Missoula, filed the complaint on Monday, claiming that both her rights and those of her 11,000 constituents had been infringed.
Judge Mike Menahan, a Democrat who served in the House before being elected to the state’s First District Court a decade ago, stated in a five-page opinion published late Tuesday that he lacked the jurisdiction to interfere in the legislative disagreement. His decision came only hours before Montana lawmakers adjourned for the year.
Montana is one of many states where Republican legislators have attempted to ban hormone therapies and surgical procedures for transgender adolescents this year. In the United States, around 1.3 million people and 300,000 children identify as transgender, and efforts to limit what is known as gender-affirming treatment have thrown them into one of the country’s most heated political disputes.
Republican lawmakers have decried transitional care as dangerous and unproven, contending that those under the age of 18 lack the maturity to make long-term decisions. Major medical organizations, however, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, promote this treatment and assert that bans seriously endanger young people’s mental health.
