Transgender Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr seeks reelection after GOP-led silencing, hopes to return to legislature and shift focus to wider issues.
In a race that could reinstate her voice in the Montana legislature, Democratic state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender lawmaker, is running for reelection in her Missoula district.
Zephyr, a first-term Democrat, was silenced and sanctioned by her Republican colleagues in 2023 after refusing to apologize for saying some lawmakers would have “blood on their hands” for supporting a ban on gender-affirming care for youth.
The controversial incident propelled Zephyr into the national spotlight, as she became a leading advocate for transgender rights during a time of increasing legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community across the country.
Now, Zephyr is favored to defeat her Republican challenger, Barbara Starmer, in her Democrat-leaning district.
However, Republicans still maintain a strong grip on power in the state, controlling the governor’s office and a two-thirds majority in the legislature.
If reelected, Zephyr will be able to return to the House floor in 2025, after being effectively silenced for nearly two years.
She hopes to shift the focus away from the politicization of transgender lives and towards issues that impact a wider range of Montanans, such as housing affordability and healthcare access.
Zephyr’s case has become emblematic of the broader tensions over democratic norms and the silencing of political opposition, as seen in the expulsions of Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee and Oklahoma for their protests.
As the 2024 presidential election looms, Zephyr has also warned voters that another Trump presidency could further erode democratic institutions, citing his false claims of a stolen 2020 election.
The outcome of Zephyr’s race could have significant implications for the continued fight for transgender rights and the preservation of democratic principles in the state of Montana.
