Republican silencing of trans lawmaker Zooey Zephyr is 'destructive authoritarianism'

The ‘silencing’ of Zooey Zephyr, Montana’ first trans state legislator, has been branded “absurd” and “anti-democratic”. On Wednesday (26 April), Republicans voted to ban Zephyr from the House floor for the remainder of the 2023 legislative session. She will be allowed to vote remotely. The trans politician has been targeted with censure calls since 18 April, when she told lawmakers who backed a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth they would have ‘blood on their hands’. House speaker Matt Regier had already silenced Zephyr, refusing to acknowledge her or...