Dem
51
GOP
49
Yesterday, as we noted, the Montana state House had a closed-door session and a vote to determine whether to punish state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D). Zephyr is trans, and her crime was to take to the floor of the state house and declare that lawmakers who voted in favor of a ban on gender-affirming treatments would have "blood on their hands."
It would seem the Montanans have been watching Tennessee closely. That's where the idea of "you said something that hurt our feelings, so we are going to expel you" seems to have come from. At the same time, the Tennesseeans went too far, and it blew up in their faces (more on this tomorrow). So, the penalty that has been imposed on Zephyr is less harsh than the one the two Justins got in Tennessee. She's banned from the House floor for the rest of the session, and will not be allowed to participate in debates and discussions, though she can vote on bills.
Since the session lasts just 6 more days, this sanction, while undemocratic and petty, falls pretty far short of expulsion. So, it's not likely to create the national scandal that the situation in Tennessee did. (Z)