It’s not often I cartoon about Montana, home to much of my family. (Btw, you can see the early stages of this animation here.)
The beautiful Big Sky state isn’t usually featured very prominently in the news (or in my cartoons, for that matter). Unfortunately, it should be getting much more attention now given the outrageous, anti-democratic moves of the Republican-controlled legislature.
Montana is one of the latest states to pass anti-transgender legislation, but it doesn’t stop there. As the House was debating SB 99, which would ban gender-affirming care for minors, state Rep. Zooey Zephyr gave a moving and pointed speech opposing the bill.
As she criticized Republicans who supported the legislation, Montana’s first transgender lawmaker said, “I hope the next time there's an invocation, when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands.” (You’ve really got to watch the clip.)
The short version of what followed is that Zephyr was silenced and banned from the House floor.
It turns out that giving stirring speeches from the heart that criticize your political opponents is beyond the bounds of “decorum” in Montana — just like joining a rally opposing gun violence gets you shut up if you’re a Black legislator in Tennessee . . . and being the parent of a transgender child gets you an ethics investigation if you’re a lawmaker in Nebraska.
Even in places where Republicans control the statehouse, there seems to be a growing trend toward shutting up lawmakers in the minority.
I can’t decide whether these Republicans are extremely thin-skinned or autocratic . . . chances are, they’re both.
Now, for a quick peek behind the scenes…
I’ve built up quite a collection of various statehouses over the years, and added Montana and Tennessee this week. And, boy, are some of these capitols ugly (architecturally & politically). Here’s a look at what is sitting in the wings, offstage in this particular scene.
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Bonus outrage:
the guy who signed SB 99 into law is none other than Montana Governor Greg Gianforte — who was charged with assault while campaigning after he grabbed a reporter by the neck and slammed him to the ground.
Some decorum.
Silence Dissent With Decorum(tm)