Montana Lawmakers Reject Bid to Restrict Bathroom Use for Trans LegislatorsThe proposal would have effectively barred transgender women from using the
State Capitol restroom for female lawmakers. Some Republicans joined
Democrats in voting it down.
Link to Full ArticleThe New York Times - Jacey Fortin
December 3, 2024
State lawmakers in Montana on Tuesday rejected a proposal that could have restricted bathroom access for transgender lawmakers at the State Capitol in Helena.
The decision came down to a narrow vote in the Legislature's joint rules committee. All Democrats opposed the measure. Several Republicans argued against it, too.
"This particular action will have the effect of making people famous in the national news," Representative David Bedey, a Republican from Hamilton, said during the committee meeting, "and will not contribute to the effective conduct of our business."
The proposal, which addressed the restrooms reserved for lawmakers between the House and Senate chambers, would have effectively barred transgender people from using the bathrooms that align with their gender identities.
The debate over the measure came about a month after the re-election of Zooey Zephyr, a Democrat from Missoula and a transgender woman who is now beginning her second term in the State House.
"I'm happy to see that this proposed ban failed and am grateful for my colleagues, particularly my Republican colleagues, who recognized this as a distraction from the work we were elected to do," Ms. Zephyr said in a statement on Tuesday.-------------------------