Rep. SJ Howell, who was born a woman named Sarah J. Howell, identifies as nonbinary and was elected in 2022 as the state's first "nonbinary" legislator.
Democrats in Montana have selected a female who identifies as "nonbinary" to be their state House minority leader at the same time that they have chosen trans-identified male Zooey Zephyr to be a minority whip.
Both candidates are from Missoula, one of the more blue areas in the traditionally conservative state. Rep. SJ Howell, who was born a woman named Sarah J. Howell, identifies as nonbinary and was elected in 2022 as the state's first "nonbinary" legislator.
Howell was the only Democrat nominee among 44 House Democrats in the state legislature.
Zephyr, who is a biological man and was born with the name Zachary Todd Raasch, is the first lawmaker in Montana to be openly transgender. He was elected in 2022 and formerly competitive Super Smash Bros player.
He gained prominence in the media in 2023 when other lawmakers barred him from the floor after he said that a ban on sex change operations for minors meant that they had "blood" on their hands.
In a post to Bluesky, Zephyr confirmed the caucus election results, posing with Howell and other Democrat minority Montana House leadership.
"I am proud to announce that I have been elected as a Whip for the Montana House Democrats! We have an incredible leadership team, and are ready to get to work for Montana! Additionally, we are blessed to have Rep. SJ Howell as minority leader—the first trans/nonbinary party leader in the nation!" Zephyr said.
The GOP has a majority of 56 to 44 in the House, and all statewide lawmakers are Republican.
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