After speaking out against a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors, Montana's only transgender lawmaker Rep. Zooey Zephyr has been barred from the chamber floor and gallery for the remainder of the legislative session. Despite the ban, Zephyr will still be able to vote by Zoom. On Monday, Zephyr raised her microphone toward supporters in the Statehouse gallery above as they chanted "Let her speak!".

The move to bar Zephyr went along party lines, with 68 Republicans in favor and 32 Democrats opposed. Republicans had also considered expulsion of Zephyr. Zephyr said she rose in defense of her community and of democracy itself, and said: “When my community is facing bills that get us killed, he's (the speaker) asking me to be complicit in this Legislature's eradication of our community," she added, delivering her speech in a calm, yet assertive tone.

Critics have called the Republican lawmakers' attempts to silence Zephyr as a way to eradicate the transgender community in Montana. On Wednesday, the Montana House of Representatives will vote on "disciplinary measures" against Zephyr that could mean censuring her or expelling her entirely. Montana residents have rallied around Zephyr, demanding she be allowed to speak.