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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 25 april 2023
Silenced Montana trans lawmaker upholds stance in dispute

By AMY BETH HANSON bills are doing in Montana --
Associated Press to trans youth especially,”
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Sup- she said of Zephyr.
porters of a transgender As proceedings began,
lawmaker who legislative Zephyr’s supporters filled
leaders in Montana have the statehouse gallery and
prevented from speaking supplemental Montana
gathered outside the state- Highway Patrol stood by
house on Monday, waving to monitor developments.
pride flags chanting “Let Zephyr voted on various
Her Speak!” as a stand- measures, but leadership
off over fiery remarks she pushed discussion of a bill
made moved into its sec- she requested to speak on
ond week. to the end of the agenda.
Montana state Rep. Zoo- House Speaker Matt Regier
ey Zephyr hasn’t been al- and his Republican col-
lowed to speak on the leagues have indicated
statehouse floor since Thurs- they have no plans to back
day because she told her down from their stance,
Republican colleagues last meaning the standoff is
week that they would have expected to resume when
“blood on their hands” if the Montana House recon-
they banned gender-af- venes Monday afternoon
firming medical care for at the Capitol in Helena.
transgender youth. Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, second from right, stands with members of the minority party on Last year, Zephyr became
the house floor on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at the state capitol in Helena, Mont.
Zephyr, a Missoula Demo- Associated Press the first openly transgen-
crat, was silenced and de- der woman elected to the
liberately misgendered by won’t happen until she as proceedings opened on restricting gender-affirming Montana Legislature put-
some Republican lawmak- apologizes. House Speaker Monday afternoon. care endangers transgen- ting her among a record
ers throughout last week. Matt Regier and his Repub- The standoff is the latest ex- der youth, who many stud- number of transgender
Zephyr was silenced for a lican colleagues have indi- ample of emergent discus- ies suggest suffer dispropor- lawmakers who began
second day Friday as her cated they have no plans sions around civility, deco- tionately from depression serving across the U.S.
Republican colleagues re- to back down from their rum and how to discuss po- and suicidality. The dispute started last
fused to let her speak on stance. litical issues many perceive Katy Spence, a constituent Tuesday when the House
the chamber’s floor about “There are 10,000 Montan- as life and death. Ban pro- of Zephyr’s who drove to was debating Republican
a bill that would prevent ans whose voice will not ponents see Zephyr’s re- the Capitol from Missoula Gov. Greg Gianforte’s pro-
minors from seeing pornog- be heard because their marks as unprecedented on Monday, said the stand- posed amendments to a
raphy online. representative will not be and personal in nature. She off was about censoring measure banning gender-
She plans to keep trying to allowed to speak, and that and her supporters say they ideas, not decorum. affirming care for minors.
speak on the House floor makes me really sad,” said accurately illustrate the “She’s been silenced be- Zephyr spoke up in refer-
Monday despite Republi- Rep. Connie Keogh, an- stakes of the legislation un- cause she spoke the truth ence to the body’s open-
can leaders insisting that other Missoula Democrat, der discussion, arguing that about what these anti-trans ing prayer.q

1 dead in Oklahoma college shooting, suspect in custody

By SUE OGROCKI and A man shot and killed an- who reported no other in- Porter said the victim was celed classes for the re-
SEAN MURPHY other man Monday at Rose juries after the campus was shot one time and that the mainder of the day after
Associated Press State College in Oklaho- briefly put on lockdown. suspect was confronted by lifting the lockdown order.
MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) — ma, according to police, Midwest City Police Chief officers who work on cam- A person who answered
Sid Porter said the men pus. the phone at the univer-
were “acquainted through “They ordered him to drop sity’s public safety office
a domestic situation,” but the gun, which he did, and Monday referred questions
did not elaborate on ex- they took him into custo- to police.
actly what their relation- dy,” Porter said. Porter praised students and
ship was or what led to the Kevin McCormack, a stu- staff for how they respond-
shooting. dent from the suburb of ed during the lockdown
He also did not say if either Choctaw, said he was and noted that weeks be-
man was a student or staff meeting a friend on cam- fore the shooting, Rose
member at the school. pus when he heard gunfire. State College had prac-
The two-year college has He said they looked over ticed what to do in the
about 13,000 students and and saw a man hitting the event of an active shooter.
is just outside Oklahoma ground, next to another “Things got locked down
City. man holding a gun and a real quick,” Porter said. “I
Crime scene tape surround- woman who was trying to just think they did a fantas-
ed the humanities building calm him down. tic job listening to the school
Oklahoma state troopers walk under police tape following a in the center of campus “Almost immediately, we and everybody staying
fatal shooting at Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., on and officers from multiple said, ‘Go, go, go!’ and took down and not panicking
Monday, April 24, 2023.
Associated Press law enforcement agencies off,” McCormack said. because we didn’t know
were on the scene. Rose State College can- what was going on.”q