A member of the Montana House of Representatives who claims to be Transgender will not be permitted to speak on the House floor until he apologizes for comments he made during the discussion of a bill to ban irreversible gender surgeries for children in the state.
Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr expressed opposition to a bill that would prevent minors from undergoing surgeries or from taking hormones.
The bill, SB 99, will also ban doctors from prescribing children puberty blockers.
If it becomes law, the bill will also set strict legal definitions for who classifies as both male and female.
In the bill, a female is classified as someone with XX chromosomes while a male is someone with XY chromosomes.
As Montana lawmakers discussed an amendment to the bill Tuesday, Zephyr attacked his Republican colleagues.
During the attack, the far-left Democrat insulted a prayer that began the dayâs floor session.
âThe only thing I will say is if you vote âyesâ on this bill and âyesâ on these amendments, I hope the next time thereâs an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands,â Zephyr said.
In response to Zephyrâs incendiary comments, Republican House Speaker Matt Regier announced he would not recognize Zephyr on the House floor until an official apology for the remarks was made, The Montana Free Press reported.
âIt is up to me to maintain decorum here on the House floor, to protect the dignity and integrity, and any representative I donât feel can do that will not be recognized,â Regier said.
Regier later made the decision not to recognize the Missoula Democrat until either an apology is made or until this yearâs session expires, whichever comes first.
Zephyr said he would not apologize in a statement in which he said he represented âtrans and queer Montanans.â
Democrats who were sympathetic to Zephyrâs claims that children are entitled to irreversible gender surgeries objected to the decision.
A House Rules Committee vote on the matter affirmed Regier was acting within the parameters of his office.
Montana Freedom Caucus Chairwoman Theresa Manzella later told The Washington Examiner that some lawmakers considered Zephyrâs comments to be threatening in nature, citing a school shooting in Tennessee last month that was carried out by a Transgender shooter.
âSome Montana Legislators considered the comments a threat, and in light of recent events at Covenant Christian School in Nashville, Rep. Zephyr needs to offer a reasonable explanation for his âblood on your handsâ comment,â Manzella told the outlet.
On his Twitter page, Zephyr describes himself as both âbiâ and âtrans.â
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
