Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana’s son, David Gianforte, has been lobbying their father to oppose the state legislature’s anti-trans bills. The 32-year-old David came out publicly for the first time in a conversation with the Montana Free Press. As the legislature contemplates three bills to ban gender-affirming care, outlaw drag performances in front of minors, and define sex as exclusively binary and biological, David felt a duty to speak up and use their influence.
David met with their father during the workday as an average constituent. While their family does not talk much about politics or their identity, David felt it was more professional to approach this topic this way. David expressed their concerns about the bills, stating that they “would significantly directly affect a number of my friends” and “are immoral, unjust, and frankly a violation of human rights.”
While the governor was open to hearing his son’s concerns, he ultimately decided to express support for the gender-affirming care ban and even propose amendments to strengthen it. Gov. Gianforte called the term gender-affirming care “Orwellian Newspeak” that “masks its true nature of permanent, invasive, life-altering medical and surgical procedures on children.” This is despite minors almost never receiving gender-affirming surgery, and instead, they are treated with reversible puberty blockers. Major medical organizations like the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics support age-appropriate gender-affirming care.
David blasted the hypocrisy in their father’s approach, stating that “It’s bizarre to me to read the press release that my father put out. He talks about compassion toward children, the youth of Montana, while simultaneously taking away health care from the youth in Montana. It’s basically a contradiction in my mind.”
David has also been speaking out to support trans Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D), who Republicans recently banned from the state house chamber in retaliation for supporting protestors who shared her opposition to the anti-trans legislation. David tweeted last week in support of the LGBTQ+ community of Montana, including themselves and many of their friends, and has worked to oppose bills in the current Montana Legislative session, including SB 99 and SB 458.
In Montana, where Republicans hold a supermajority in the legislature, the passage of these anti-trans bills is likely. However, David Gianforte’s public stand against these bills highlights the continued push for rights and protections for the LGBTQ+ community in Montana and beyond.
