Montana Republicans have voted to bar trans-identified lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from the House floor for the remainder of the legislative session, citing “decorum” rules after the Democrat state representative accused them of having blood on their hands for voting to ban experimental child sex changes.
Zephyr will be permitted to vote remotely and participate in committees but will be prevented from discussing proposals and amendments in the House, according to the Associated Press.
The decision marks the end of a week-long battle between Zephyr and the Republican House members over inflammatory and scientifically inaccurate statements made by Zephyr during the debate on SB 99, that prohibits minors from undergoing irreversible sex change interventions.
“If you vote yes on this bill and yes on these amendments, I hope the next time there’s an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you will see the blood on your hands,” Zephyr told colleagues during the debate.
This prompted Montana lawmakers to pursue disciplinary action and move to silence Zephyr, a decision that angered radical left activists who stormed the chamber Tuesday chanting “let her speak!” Riot police were called to remove the protesters and seven arrests were made.
Then in a speech Wednesday, Zephyr doubled down on the accusations, giving alleged examples of suicides that have occurred because of the proposed ban on child sex changes.
“I have firsthand experience…I have had friends who have taken their lives because of these bills,” Zephyr told the House. “I have fielded calls from families in Montana, including one family whose trans teenager attempted to take her life while watching a hearing on one of the anti-trans bills.”
“So when I rose up and said there is blood on your hands, I was not being hyperbolic. I was speaking to the real consequences of the votes that we as legislators take in this body,” Zephyr continued.
Zephyr then went on to say that being asked to apologise really meant being asked to be silent.
“When my community is facing bills that get us killed he's asking me to be complicit in this legislature's eradication of our community. And I refuse to do so. And I will always refuse to do so.”
“I would also say that if you use decorum to silence people who hold you accountable, then in the name of the all you are doing is using decorum as a tool of oppression,” Zephyr added.
All suicide prevention guidelines warn against this type of oversimplification when talking about suicide. A growing number of experts in the field of gender medicine are calling out the transition-or-suicide narrative being pushed by Zephyr and fellow trans activists.
Dr. Riitta Kaltiala, chief psychiatrist at Finland's Tampere U gender clinic, recently said that suggesting children and adolescents will commit suicide if not given access to experimental sex-change procedures “is purposeful disinformation, the dissemination of which is irresponsible.”
Leor Sapir, of the Manhattan Institute, argues that Zephyr’s “blood on your hands” comment is “not only scientifically false, it is also profoundly irresponsible. It puts the very teens Zephyr claims to be concerned about at higher risk for self-harm--a fact acknowledged by major LGBT advocacy and suicide-prevention orgs.”
Sapir tweeted a quote from an LGBTQ suicide prevention guidebook to show how dangerous Zephyr’s rhetoric is.
“DON'T attribute a suicide death to a single factor (such as bullying or discrimination) or say that a specific anti-LGBT law or policy will 'cause' suicide. Suicide deaths are almost always the result of multiple overlapping causes, including mental health issues that might not have been recognized or treated,” reads the advice.
“Linking suicide directly to external factors like bullying, discrimination or anti-LGBT laws can normalize suicide by suggesting that it is a natural reaction to such experiences or laws. It can also increase suicide risk by leading at-risk individuals to identify with the experiences of those who have died by suicide.”
Sapir concluded that “Rep. Zephyr is putting vulnerable teens at risk, according to major LGBT advocacy and suicide prevention groups.”
Zephyr's partner Erin Reed, also a trans-identified male, is a prominent trans activist who openly advises young people on how to access life-changing hormones without the need for a therapist letter or support from a mental health professional.
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