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National News Highlights — Apr. 28, 2023

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Democratic State Rep. Zooey Zephyr hoists a microphone into the air Monday, April 24 as her supporters interrupt proceedings in the state House in Helena, Mont., by chanting "Let Her Speak!" — Photo by Amy Beth Hanson / AP
Democratic State Rep. Zooey Zephyr hoists a microphone into the air Monday, April 24 as her supporters interrupt proceedings in the state House in Helena, Mont., by chanting "Let Her Speak!" — Photo by Amy Beth Hanson / AP

Zooey Zephyr silenced by Montana Republicans for breaking decorum
Trans activist and Democratic legislator Zooey Zephyr was barred from the Montana statehouse floor in a 68-32 vote, due to her statements regarding Senate Bill 99, which would ban Transgender healthcare treatments for minors in the state.

"If you vote yes on this bill and yes on these amendments," said Zephyr during open debate, "I hope the next time there's an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands."

The motion allows her to continue to vote remotely in House decisions but bars her from entering the House floor, anteroom, or gallery for the remainder of the legislative session, which is scheduled to end on May 10.

Zephyr is the first openly Trans legislator in the state of Montana.

The motion also stipulates that Zephyr would be allowed to speak in the chamber again if she apologized for her comments. "When the speaker asks me to apologize on behalf of decorum, what he is really asking me to do is be silent when my community is facing bills that get us killed," Zephyr told the Associated Press. "He is asking me to be complicit in this legislature's eradication of our community. And I refuse to do so."

The motion has garnered national attention and sparked a protest by Zephyr's supporters in the statehouse.

San Francisco to repeal boycott of anti-LGBTQ+ states
San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, April 27, to repeal a ban on city-funded travel to 30 states that restrict LGBTQ+, abortion, and voting rights.

The boycott has been in place since 2016 and initially only applied to states the City said restricted the rights of the LGBTQ+ population.

A report released last month concluded that the boycott was raising costs and administrative burdens for the City and has had no measurable or cited effect on states with restrictive LGBTQ rights, abortion policies, or voting rights.

In the wake of this decision, the state of California is reconsidering its ban of state-funded travel to 23 states with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.