After being accused of inciting protesters in the chamber and telling lawmakers they would have blood on their hands if they supported a measure to restrict gender-affirming care for minors, Montana House Republicans voted to censure Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the state's first transgender state legislator. The censure prohibits Zephyr from participating physically on the House floor, but she will remain in her position and able to vote and attend sessions remotely. Republican lawmakers had previously considered expelling Zephyr but ultimately voted 68-32 to censure her along party lines. Zephyr spoke ahead of the censure vote, defending her comments and criticizing the Legislature for "systematically attacking" the LGBTQ community. She also claimed that she was speaking in their defense, stating that the legislation, if passed, could result in the deaths of transgender youth. "When the speaker asks me to apologize on behalf of decorum, what he's really asking me to do is be silent when my community is facing bills that get us killed. He's asking me to be complicit in this Legislature's eradication of our community, and I refuse to do so," she stated.