A measure to bar Montana Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the state\u2019s first transgender legislator, from using the women\u2019s restroom at the State Capitol failed to pass the House Rules Committee on Tuesday, with several Republicans voting against it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The measure, introduced by Republican Rep. Jerry Schillinger, would have required state legislators to use the restrooms of their birth sexes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The measure \u201csays what probably shouldn\u2019t need to be said and puts into rules what probably shouldn\u2019t need to be put into rules,\u201d Schillinger said Tuesday at a meeting of the Joint House and Senate Rules Committees ahead of Montana\u2019s next legislative session in January. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The proposal, which needed support from a majority of both committees to pass, failed, with the Senate committee voting 11-7 in favor and the House committee voting 10-12 against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zephyr \u2014 who drew international attention and became a nationally recognized face<\/a> among the LGBTQ community last year when she was censured<\/a> in the Montana Legislature \u2014 thanked her colleagues who voted against the measure in a statement on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m happy to see that this proposed ban failed and am grateful for my colleagues\u2014particularly my republican colleagues\u2014who recognized this as a distraction from the work we were elected to do,\u201d Zephyr wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m ready to represent my constituents and look forward to working on behalf of the people of Montana.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. David Bedey was among the four Republicans who voted against the measure, arguing that the Legislature\u2019s rules are intended to allow the body to act on behalf of Montanans in an efficient manner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis particular action will have the effect of making people famous in the national news and will not contribute to the effective conduct of our business,\u201d Bedey said before Tuesday\u2019s vote<\/a>. He added that restroom access wasn\u2019t an issue for the female legislators he spoke with in the last legislative session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. Brad Barker, also a Republican, agreed with Bedey, saying the issue was becoming \u201ca distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Republican Rep. Jedediah Hinkle supported the measure, saying that the Legislature has only one trans legislator but that it could have more in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think it\u2019s time this body addresses this issue now as they are addressing it nationally,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to set that precedent right now that women have their spaces and they need to be comfortable in those spaces, and I think we ought to stand up for them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hinkle appeared to be alluding to a recent debate in the U.S. Capitol following Delaware\u2019s election of Sarah McBride, who will become the country\u2019s first openly transgender member of Congress next month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a resolution<\/a> last month to prohibit any lawmakers and House employees from \u201cusing single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.\u201d In remarks that misgendered her, Mace told reporters<\/a> that the measure was, indeed, intended to target McBride, adding that she is \u201cabsolutely 100% going to stand in the way of any man who wants to be in a women\u2019s restroom, in our locker rooms, in our changing rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added, \u201cI will be there fighting you every step of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he supports Mace\u2019s effort<\/a>, though his statement of support doesn\u2019t formally change the rules package for the new congressional session, which starts in January. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On Nov. 20, McBride responded to Mace\u2019s proposal<\/a> and Johnson\u2019s response, writing on X: \u201cI\u2019m not here to fight about bathrooms. I\u2019m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added, \u201cThis effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn\u2019t distracted me over the last several days, as I\u2019ve remained hard at work preparing to represent the greatest state in the union come January.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n