Republican lawmakers in Montana continued to ban Democratic transgender legislator Zooey Zephyr from participating in the debate for a second week, while her supporters halted Monday’s House of Representatives session, chanting “Let her speak!” of the gallery before being escorted out.

In the first moments after proceedings were suspended Monday afternoon, Zephyr defiantly hoisted a non-functioning microphone into the air as her supporters interrupted proceedings for nearly half an hour after Republicans rejected her requests to speak on a proposal that would have restricted when children could change the names and pronouns they use at school and require parental consent.

The hiatus is the latest development in a three-day battle over Zephyr’s comments to lawmakers backing a ban on gender-affirming care. Zephyr, who is transgender and a first-term Democratic representative from Missoula, has been barred from speaking on the floor of the state house since Thursday because she told her Republican colleagues last week that they would have blood on their hands if they provided gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.

Zephyr’s supporters were escorted from the gallery above the floor of the state house, several of them by force. Leaders interrupted the sound of the video feed, and Zephyr remained on the floor with her microphone. Zephyr did not return after lawmakers reconvened and wrote on Twitter that she would return after showing support for those arrested for defending democracy.

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Zephyr told The Associated Press she was on her way to the county jail with the six protesters who had been arrested.

The display followed a pledge Zephyr made earlier Monday, when she told supporters on the steps of the state house that she intended to continue to speak out strongly against legislation that deems members of the transgender community, including herself, a matter of life and death. .

I was sent here to speak on behalf of my constituents and my community. It’s the promise I made when I was elected and it’s a promise I will keep every day,” Zephyr said before entering the House chamber.

Supporters waved pride flags and chanted Let her speak! as she linked the plight of the transgender community against gender-affirming care bans to the political battles animating other marginalized groups in the United States.

If those communities that see the impact of those laws have the guts to stand up and say, ‘This legislation is killing us,’ those in power aren’t satisfied with passing those hateful, harmful laws,” she said. What they demand is silence. We will not be complicit in our extermination.

Proponents of Ban view Zephyr’s comments as unprecedented and personal in nature. She and her supporters say they accurately illustrate the stakes of the debated legislation, arguing that limiting gender-affirming care puts transgender youth at risk, who many studies believe disproportionately suffer from depression and suicidality.

The standoff is the latest example of emerging debates about civility, decorum, and how to discuss political issues that many consider life and death.

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Zephyr was silenced and deliberately misled by some Republican lawmakers in response to her indictment last week. She planned to continue trying to speak on the House floor on Monday, despite Republican leaders insisting it would not happen until she apologises. House Speaker Matt Regier and his Republican colleagues indicated they had no intention of backing down. On Monday at the start of the proceedings, they moved an item Zephyr requested to speak to the end of the agenda.

After speaking and before the House convened, Zephyr entered the crowd that had gathered at the State House to support her position. A 21-year-old from a small town in southwestern Montana burst into tears when he told her about his fear of coming out as trans in his community. Others hugged her, thanked her for fighting and apologized for having to.

Katy Spence, a Zephyrs member who drove to the Capitol from Missoula on Monday, said the standoff was about censoring ideas, not decency.

She has been silenced for speaking the truth about what these anti-trans laws in Montana are doing especially to trans youth, she said of Zephyr.

Months after Zephyr became the first openly transgender woman elected to the Montana legislature, the state joined a long list of legislatures approving new restrictions on transgender children. The legislation this year covers issues ranging from the health care they can access, to the sports teams they can play on, to the names they can use. While the proceedings have been the subject of heated debate in more than a dozen state houses, Zephyr’s standoff with Republican leaders has brought renewed attention to the legal battle over transgender children.

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The dispute began last Tuesday when the House debated the Republican administration. Greg Gianfortes proposed amendments to a measure banning gender-affirming care for minors. Zephyr spoke in reference to the bodies that began the prayer.

I hope the next time there’s an incantation, when you bow your head in prayer, you see the blood on your hands, she said.

Sue Vinton, a Republican majority leader in the House, immediately called Zephyr’s comments inappropriate and disrespectful. That night, a group of conservative lawmakers known as the Montana Freedom Caucus demanded Zephyr’s disapproval and deliberately referred to her using masculine pronouns in their letter and a

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. That is known as using pronouns that do not match a person’s gender identity.

Zephyr angered legislative leaders earlier this session with emotional testimony.

The bill banning gender-affirming care for minors is awaiting Gianforte’s signature. He has indicated that he will sign it. The bill states that it must enter into force on October 1. 1, but the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal have said they will challenge it in court.

Montana’s Republican-controlled legislature is expected to end for the year sometime next week.

Metz reported from Salt Lake City.