A measure that would have banned Montana’s first transgender lawmaker, Zooey Zephyr, from using the women’s restroom at the state Capitol failed to pass the House Rules Committee on Tuesday, with several Republicans voting against it.
The measure, introduced by Republican Rep. Jerry Schillinger, would have required state lawmakers to use their birth-gender restrooms.
Schillinger told a meeting of the Joint House and Senate Rules Committees Tuesday ahead of Montana’s next legislative session in January that the measure “says things that probably shouldn’t be said and rules things that probably shouldn’t be rules.”
The proposal, which needed the support of a majority of both committees to pass, failed with the Senate committee voting 11-7 in favor and the House committee voting 10-12 against.
Marshmallow – who attracted international attention and became a nationally recognized figure among the LGBTQ community last year they condemned him In a statement on social media in the Montana Legislature, he thanked his colleagues who voted against the measure.
“I’m glad to see this proposed ban fail, and I’m grateful to my colleagues, especially my Republican colleagues, who saw it as a distraction from the work we were elected to do.” Zephyr wrote on X. “I am ready to represent my constituents and look forward to working on behalf of the people of Montana.”
David Bedey was among four Republicans who voted against the measure, arguing that the Legislature’s rules were intended to allow the agency to effectively act on behalf of Montanans.
“This particular action will have the effect of making people famous in the national news and will not help us do our job effectively,” Bedey said. before Tuesday’s vote. She added that access to restrooms was not a problem for the female lawmakers she spoke to at the last legislative session.
Rep. Brad Barker, a Republican, agreed with Bedey, saying the issue had become a “distraction.”
Rep. Jedediah Hinkle, a Republican, supported the measure, saying the legislature only has one trans lawmaker, but there could be more in the future.
“I think it’s time for this body to address this issue because they are addressing this issue at the national level,” he said. “We need to set a precedent now that women have their own space and they should be comfortable in those spaces, and I think we need to stand up for them.”
Hinkle appeared to be referring to recent debate in the US Capitol following the election of Sarah McBride, who will become Delaware’s first openly transgender member of Congress next month.
Rep. Nancy Mace, RS.C., presented a resolution Last month, banning any lawmaker and House staff from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.” In the comments that get him wrong, Mace told reporters He said the measure was indeed intended to target McBride, adding that he would “absolutely 100% stand in the way of any man who wants to be in the women’s restroom, in our locker rooms, in our changing rooms.”
He added: “I will fight you every step of the way.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., He said he supported Mace’s effortsalthough his statement of support does not formally change the package of rules for the new session of Congress, which begins in January.
On November 20 McBride responded to Mace’s offer and Johnson’s response, writing in X: “I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I am here to fight for Delawareans and reduce the costs that families face. Like all members, I will follow the rules outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I do not agree with them.
He added: “This effort to distract from the real problems facing this country has not distracted me over the past few days as I have worked hard to prepare to represent the largest nation in the union in January.”
In the days following McBride’s statement, Marshmallow cheered him up “not leaving the ground”.
In an interview with Scripps News, Zephyr said, “When we see policies targeting trans women, trying to live their lives in the bathroom, playing sports with their friends — that’s not where the hate stops from the right.” “This hate is on display all the time, so it’s important for us to stand up against these efforts to target our community.”