Supporters of silenced Montana transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr won’t face trespassing charges

By AMY BETH HANSON
Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana prosecutors are declining to pursue misdemeanor trespassing charges against seven people who were arrested in the state House gallery for protesting that Republicans were denying transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr the right to debate bills near the end of the 2023 legislative session. The Lewis and Clark County Attorney’s Office filed motions in Justice Court to dismiss the charges “in the best interests of justice.” The plaintiffs were arrested for disrupting a floor session of the state House when Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr was not allowed to speak on a bill. She had been silenced for telling lawmakers who supported a ban on gender affirming medical care for minors that they would have blood on their hands. She was later banned from the House floor.