就在州众议员佐伊·泽法受到蒙大拿州众议院共和党人的谴责可以发现她坐在州议会大厦的公共区域，用她的笔记本电脑在尽可能靠近议会大楼的地方投票和参与。
泽法在接受美国广播公司采访时表示:“人们派我到这里来做这项工作，而这项工作大部分是在众议院进行的。”。“我需要尽可能接近，这样我就可以与立法者进行对话，并确保我可以，至少在某种程度上，确保我的选民的声音可以得到讨论。”
泽法呼吁投票反对SB99法案中针对变性青年的性别确认护理禁令，这导致众议院共和党领导人连续几天忽视该法案。
泽法在4月18日的辩论中说:“如果你拒绝性别确认护理，并强迫跨性别儿童经历青春期，那无异于酷刑，这个机构应该感到羞耻。”。
她继续说道，“如果你们对这项法案投赞成票，我希望下次你们低头祈祷时，能看到你们手上的鲜血。”
她说，共和党议员拒绝让她在众议院发言或发表评论。一些立法者，包括众议院议长马特·雷吉埃，认为她违反了众议院的礼仪规则。
“所有代表都可以自由参加众议院的辩论，同时遵守众议院的规则。不遵守众议院规则的选择是众议员泽法做出的，”雷吉埃在一份声明中对记者说。"唯一让泽法议员闭嘴的人是泽法议员."
几天后，支持泽法的示威者中断了众议院的工作，抗议她的沉默。泽法举起麦克风，寸步不离地表示支持。
“让她说话，”抗议者高呼。
作为回应，众议院共和党人投票谴责她，代表了禁止她进入众议院所需的三分之二以上的票数。
根据蒙大拿州自由会议的一份声明，她的几位同事认为，泽法正在煽动“暴力”，并表现出“公然无视房子里那些人的安全和福祉”。
泽法认为，真正的暴力是性别确认护理禁令可能对变性青年产生的负面影响。
泽法该州第一个公开变性的立法者告诉美国广播公司新闻过渡在她的生活中扮演了一个关键的角色。
“跨性别者，当他们转变时，我们完全活成了自己，”泽法说。“我们过着充满快乐和目标的生活……我们与自己的身体产生共鸣，这是我们在转变之前无法做到的。”
她继续说，“跨性别者知道这一点，那些爱我们、关心我们的人也看到了这一点。因此，对我来说，这是支撑这一时刻的基本真理之一。这就是为什么最终我们会赢。”
由于歧视和性别焦虑，作为一个感觉不像自己的性别出现的心理压力，跨青年面临更高的利率抑郁、焦虑和自杀意念，研究显示。接受性别确认护理已被证明可以改善这种心理健康状况，根据几项研究。
泽法说，她亲眼目睹了这些后果。
“今年我已经有朋友自杀了，”泽法说。“当有跨性别青年试图自杀时，我的家人会打电话给我，并与我的同事讨论，其中包括一名试图在观看针对跨性别群体的立法听证会时自杀的跨性别青年。”
如果SB99由蒙大拿州州长签署，它将加入至少13个其他州的行列-阿拉巴马州、阿肯色州、亚利桑那州、佛罗里达州、佐治亚州、爱达荷州、爱荷华州、肯塔基州、密西西比州、密苏里州、南达科他州、田纳西州和犹他州-通过法律或政策，限制对法定成年年龄以下的人进行性别确认护理，法定成年年龄是法定成年的门槛。
随着立法会议在未来几周内结束，泽法告诉美国广播公司新闻，她希望继续大声疾呼，“以激情捍卫我们的社区，这是一种应对时刻的紧迫感。”
“你提出的政策，不管是直接的还是间接的，都让跨性别者无法在这个世界上茁壮成长和生存，”她说。
Transgender legislator Zooey Zephyr defends actions following censure in Montana
The day after state Rep. Zooey Zephyr wascensured by Montana House Republicans, she could be found seated in the public area of the state capitol building, voting and participating with her laptop as close to the House floor as she was allowed.
“The people sent me here to do the work, and much of that work is on the House floor,” Zephyr told ABC News in an interview. “I need to be as close as possible, so I can have the conversations with legislators and make sure that I can, at least in some way, make sure the voice of my constituents can be discussed.”
Zephyr’s calls to vote against a gender-affirming care ban for transgender youth on bill SB99 prompted days of being ignored by Republican leaders on the House floor.
"If you are denying gender-affirming care and forcing a trans child to go through puberty, that is tantamount to torture, and this body should be ashamed," Zephyr said in the April 18 debate.
She continued, "If you vote yes on this bill, I hope the next time you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands."
Republican lawmakers responded by refusing to allow her to speak or comment on the House floor, she says. Some legislators, including House Speaker Matt Regier, argued she had broken House rules of decorum.
"All representatives are free to participate in House debate while following the House rules. The choice to not follow House rules is one that Representative Zephyr has made," said Regier in a statement to reporters. "The only person silencing Representative Zephyr is Representative Zephyr."
Demonstrators in support of Zephyr interrupted House business several days later to protest her silencing. Zephyr showed her support by holding up her mic and failing to leave the House floor.
“Let her speak,” protesters chanted.
House Republicans voted to censure her in response, representing just over the two-thirds needed to bar her from the House floor.
Several of her colleagues argued that Zephyr was inciting "violence" and showing "flagrant disregard for the safety and well-being" of those at the House, according to one statement from the Montana Freedom Caucus.
Zephyr argues the real violence is the negative impact gender-affirming care bans may have on transgender youth.
Zephyr, thefirst openly trans lawmaker in the state, told ABC News transitioning has played a pivotal role in her life.
“Trans people, when they transition, we come fully alive into ourselves,” Zephyr said. “We live lives full of joy and purpose … we live in a resonance with our bodies that we were unable to do prior to our transitions.”
She continued, “Trans people know that and those who love and care about us, they see that as well. And so, to me, that is one of the fundamental truths underpinning this moment. And it's why ultimately, we’ll win.”
Due to discrimination and gender dysphoria, the psychological distress of presenting as a gender that doesn't feel like one's own, trans youthface higher rates ofdepression, anxiety and suicidal ideation,researchshows. Receiving gender-affirming care has proven to improve such mental health conditions, according toseveral studies.
Zephyr said she has seen these consequences firsthand.
“I have lost friends to suicide this year,” Zephyr said. “I've had families call me when there have been – and discuss with colleagues of mine as well – when there have been suicide attempts by trans youth, including one trans teenager who attempted to take her life watching one of these hearings on legislation targeting the transgender community."
If SB99 is signed by Montana's governor, it will join at least 13 other states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah -- in passing laws or policies that restrict gender-affirming care for people under the age of legal majority, which is the threshold for legal adulthood.
As the legislative session comes to an end in the coming weeks, Zephyr told ABC News she hopes to continue to speak up "in defense of our communities with a passion, that is with an urgency that meets the moment."
“The policies you bring forward, both directly and indirectly, make it impossible for trans people to thrive and live in the world," she said.
