Montana Republicans Join Democrats to Reject Banning Trans Lawmaker from Using Women’s Restrooms

Lawmakers in Montana have voted not to ban a male legislator who is living as a woman from using the women’s restroom in the state Capitol.

The action came on Tuesday when some Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting the proposed ban during a legislative committee, USA Today reported on Wednesday.

Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D-MT), who was born Zachary Raasch, was gleeful over the rejection.

File/Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr (center) and her fiancée Erin Reed (left) during a Pride Celebration on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 10, 2023. (Elizabeth Frantz for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“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. I’m ready to represent my constituents & look forward to working on behalf of Montana,” he wrote in a social media post on Tuesday:

However, some social media users shared their thoughts on the news and his comments.

“News Flash: A person can not change their biological sex! Men don’t belong in women’s restrooms or on their sports teams! Just STOP THE MADNESS!” one person replied.

“You’re a man. This is a giant loss for biological women. Stop invading our private spaces. You are not one of us and you never will be. You need mental healthcare, not people playing along with your delusions,” another user commented.

The Today report continued:

The Montana proposal, by Republican Representative Jerry Schillinger, would have reserved two legislative restrooms exclusively for male and female users, respectively, defining them by their chromosomes and reproductive and endocrine systems, according to Reuters.

Four Republicans joined all Democrats in voting down the measure during a meeting of the Joint Rules Committee, the Flathead Beacon reported from Helena, the capital.

In November, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he would block biological men from using women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol complex, according to Breitbart News.

“Johnson’s pledge follows Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-SC) introduction of a resolution that would ban transgender women (biological men) from using biological women’s restrooms at the Capitol – weeks before Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE), a transgender woman, is sworn in,” the article read.

Following Johnson’s announcement, Zephyr posted online, “I literally just got out of meetings with members of Congress & used the bathroom on my way out.”

“Trans women are women—full stop. We’re every bit as ‘biologically female’ as cis women & @SpeakerJohnson’s statement doesn’t change the fact that women’s spaces include trans women,” he claimed.