The non-binary son of Montana’s Republican governor, Greg Gianforte, has appealed to his father to veto three bills which he believes are harmful to the transgender community.
David Gianforte, who identifies as non-binary and goes by he/they pronouns, made an appointment with his father to talk about SB 99, that seeks to prohibit doctors from performing experimental sex changes on minors; SB 458, which defines sex as being binary, and HB 359, a ban on drag performances where children might be present. He called these bills “immoral, unjust” and a “violation of human rights.”
“Hey Dad. Thanks for setting aside time to meet with me, it means a lot to me,” said David in the meeting according to The Montana Free Press. “There are a lot of important issues passing through the legislature right now. For my own sake I’ve chosen to focus primarily on transgender rights, as that would significantly directly affect a number of my friends … I would like to make the argument that these bills are immoral, unjust, and frankly a violation of human rights.”
In an interview with The Montana Free Press, David said he was unsure how much impact his lobbying might have.
“I felt somewhat of an obligation to speak to him about it,” he said. “Otherwise I would regret the missed opportunity.”
David came out as gay in 2020 and says the family doesn’t typically talk about politics.
“I do have a family relationship with my father that I’m trying to preserve,” he said. “I felt that the best way to go about this would be to reach out to him in a more formal manner. And he was very willing to meet with me.”
The governor’s office declined to go into details about the family meeting.
“The governor loves his family and values their thoughts, ideas, and perspectives. Our office will not discuss private conversations between the governor and members of his family,” said press secretary Brooke Stroyke.
SB 99 is the first of the three bills to make it to Gov. Gianforte’s desk. SB 99 prohibits doctors from performing experimental sex change procedures on under-18s. The bill has been the focus of intense media scrutiny after trans-identified male Rep. Zooey Zephyr was barred from the House floor for the remainder of the legislative session for comments while the bill was being debated.
“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 the House.
There is no evidence that Zephyr’s hyperbolic accusation holds weight, and such rhetoric flies in the face of all suicide prevention guidelines that advise never to reduce suicide to one simple cause.
David tweeted in support of Zephyr, voicing opposition to SB 99 and SB 458.
Gov. Gianforte said he has met with transgender Montanans and their families and believes it is “extremely important” to hear all sides.
In a letter to lawmakers on SB 99 published on April 17, the governor called the term gender-affirming care “Orwellian Newspeak, a seemingly innocuous, even solicitous phrase that masks its true nature of permanent, invasive, life-altering medical and surgical procedures, performed on children whose young minds and bodies are still developing.”
He called the science around puberty blockers, hormonal treatments, and sex-reassignment surgeries “unsettled,” and pointed to the recent decisions by several European nations to place severe restrictions on these interventions for young people.
“Given the unsettled, evolving science around invasive medical treatments for children struggling with gender identity, it is right and appropriate to protect young Montanans from these permanent, life-altering procedures,” Gov. Gianforte said.
The governor’s son, however, was confused by his father’s sentiments.
“It’s bizarre to me to read the press release that my father put out,” David told The Free Press. “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 claims to know many transgender people, including teenagers, who have benefited from undergoing the experimental sex change interventions that SB 99 seeks to restrict. He also argues that SB 458 and HB 359 are invasions of privacy and curb the right to self-expression.
SB 458 merely defines being female as being of the sex that has the capacity to produce large gametes, and male as being of the sex that has the capacity to produce small gametes. HB 359 prohibits drag shows in the presence of minors.
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