Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, a Republican, signed a bill banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender children on Friday, April 28th, 2023, making Montana the fourth state to enact such legislation, after Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The legislation, Senate Bill 99, prohibits the use of hormone treatments and puberty blockers for transgender minors. The Republican House majority had voted to pass the bill just three days after a transgender lawmaker, Zooey Zephyr, was barred from the floor of the state legislature for protesting the bill.
Transgender healthcare interventions have been the subject of debate in many state legislatures, with Republican politicians introducing dozens of similar bills to restrict medical treatments prescribed for transgender youth across the United States. Supporters of the legislation argue that the long-term effects of transgender healthcare are not fully understood and that children and teenagers are too young to make such life-altering choices, even with parental supervision. Opponents of the legislation, however, argue that denying gender-affirming care to youngsters who feel at odds with their birth sex is “tantamount to torture” and that a ban would lead to more suicides.
The Republican censure of Zephyr, a first-term representative from Missoula, has drawn backlash from the LGBTQ community and their supporters across the country. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre called the Montana Republican House action against Zephyr a “denial of democratic values”. The censure has also drawn comparison to the Republican expulsion of two Black state representatives in Tennessee who were kicked out three weeks ago for leading a gun control protest on the House floor. The Tennessee lawmakers were promptly reappointed to their seats by their county legislatures and earned a trip to the White House.
The ban on transgender healthcare in Montana has sparked protests and outrage from the LGBTQ community and their supporters, with activists calling on supporters to join a 24-hour protest event in Missoula on Friday and Saturday. The level of acrimony surrounding the issue has intensified, with Zephyr’s protest leading to the arrest of seven demonstrators. The Montana legislation highlights the ongoing debate in state legislatures across the United States regarding transgender healthcare interventions, particularly for minors. The controversy surrounding the ban also raises questions about the rights of transgender individuals and the ability of lawmakers to restrict access to medical care.