he banishment of trans lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from Montana’s House floor has showcased the rising power of hard-line conservatives who are currently leveraging divisive social issues to gain influence in 11 statehouses
By MATTHEW BROWN and SAM METZ
After debuting on the second anniversary of the January 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol, the Montana Freedom Caucus’ 21 members over the past two weeks successfully pushed GOP leaders to punish Zephyr, a Democrat, following her statements and actions in support of the transgender community. “They like to call us extremists, but we’re seeing the extremists on the left take front and center stage here,” said Montana Freedom Caucus chairwoman and state Sen. Theresa Manzella. “We’re getting behind the right issues, the issues that are dear to our hearts and those of our constituency.”
Phalen, like others in the caucus, described this week’s disruption on the House floor as “a riot or insurrection” — employing the same language that’s been used for the Jan. 6 siege by supporters of Donald Trump. The state-level strategy mirrors that of the House Freedom Caucus, which led the GOP rebellion against U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy ’s bid for Speaker in January, extracting major concessions from leadership and coveted committee assignments.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trans lawmaker Zooey Zephyr returns to work — in the hallway — after Montana GOP disciplineMontana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr returned to work — but was forced to sit in the hallway — one day after Republicans banned the transgender legislator from entering the legislative chamber as punishment for a protest.
Read more »
Trans Montana Rep. Zooey Zephyr threatened on first day back after banishment“I walked out yesterday with my head held high and I walked in with my head held high today, ready to do my job,” Zephyr said a day after getting banished.
Read more »
Trans lawmaker Zooey Zephyr returns to work — in the hallway — after Montana GOP discipline
Read more »
Banned MT Dem Zooey Zephyr: Silencing me is 'using decorum as a tool of oppression'MSNBC's Ali Velshi reports on the vote Wednesday by Montana House Republicans to ban Democratic State Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who is trans, after she spoke out against anti-trans legislation and her supporters came to the state house to demonstrate on her behalf.
Read more »
Zooey Zephyr embodies the GOP’s war on free speechJoy Reid: The same Republican Party that publicly declared the Jan. 6 attack “legitimate political discourse' is now clutching its pearls in fake outrage over citizens and legislators daring to object to its extreme politics. (via The ReidOut Blog)
Read more »
Zooey Zephyr and Justin Jones Won’t Be Silenced by GOP: “Courage Is Contagious”Tennessee’s Justin Jones and Montana’s Zooey Zephyr, two Democratic state lawmakers who were both punished by their Republican-led legislatures for peaceful protests, say the only way to fight such anti-democratic moves is through broad solidarity.
Read more »