Republican lawmakers in Montana voted en masse to help defeat two extreme anti-trans bills in an unprecedented move on Thursday, after powerful speeches from two trans representatives imploring them to reject the latest intent to criminalize gender nonconformity.
State representative Zooey Zephyr spoke out against a bill that sought to ban drag performances and Pride parades in Montana, introduced by a Republican member of of the house who has referred to transgenderism as a “fetish based on crossdressing”.
“At its very core, drag is art. It is very beautiful art. It has a deep history in this country, and it is important to my community,” said Zephyr. “I am here to stand before the body and say that my life is not a fetish. When I go to walk [my son] to school, that’s not a lascivious display. That is not a fetish. That is my family.”
State representative Caleb Hinkle introduced the bill after a previous drag ban was struck down by the courts, having been used to stop a Native American transgender woman from giving a history lecture at a library. The new bill would have granted private individuals the right to sue if a public drag show took place.
In an unusual move, a Republican representative, Sherry Essmann, also spoke out against the bill.
“Trust the parents to do what’s right, and stop these crazy bills that are a waste of time. They’re a waste of energy. We should be working on property tax relief and not doing this sort of business on the floor of this house and having to even talk about this,” said Essmann.
The bill was defeated by 55 to 44, after 13 Republicans flipped to support Democrats.
In Montana, the part-time legislature has spent more than half of its days this session pushing such bills through committees and the house floor, with Republicans largely voting in lockstep, according to reporting by Erin Reed, an independent LGBTQ+ journalist who publishes a daily newsletter.
Representative SJ Howell then spoke out against an even more extreme bill that sought to remove transgender children from their parents.
“Every time a child is removed from their family, it’s a tragedy. Sometimes a necessary tragedy, but a tragedy nonetheless. This bill does not come close to the seriousness with which those decisions should be contemplated,” said Howell.
“Put yourself in the shoes of a [child protective service] worker who is confronted with a young person … living in a stable home with loving parents, who is supported and has their needs met. And they are supposed to remove that child from their home and put them in the care of the state? We should absolutely not be doing that.”
The bill was defeated by 71 votes to 27, after 29 Republicans defected.
After the votes, Zephyr thanked Republican colleagues for helping defeat the bills.
“Rep Howell & I have built solid relationships with Republicans and those relationships change hearts, minds, and (eventually) votes. It is painful, grueling work. But it makes a difference,” Zephyr wrote on Bluesky.
“May [Rep Essmann’s] courage be contagious, and may it lead to more Republicans standing up against these bills,” she also posted.
There are 696 bills currently under consideration across 49 states that would negatively impact trans and gender-nonconforming people. Texas is the state with the most anti-trans policy initiatives, with 97 active bills, followed by Missouri, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Iowa and Connecticut. So far this year, 18 bills have been passed, which follows an unprecedented 87 in 2024, according to the trans legislation tracker.
At the federal level, there are now 25 active anti-trans bills across categories such as healthcare, student athletics, the military, incarceration and education, in addition to slew of executive orders signed by Donald Trump in the first days of his second term.
