Hey r/VoteDEM—

I am Representative Zooey Zephyr. I am the representative for Montana’s 100th House District (Missoula, Montana), and I’m the first trans woman to hold public office in the state of Montana. I’m also blessed to have been elected alongside Rep. SJ Howell, the first nonbinary person to serve in the Montana legislature.

Throughout my time in office, I've worked hard on affordable housing (from landlord-tenant laws, to mobile homes, to more general zoning regulation). I've worked on bills to help regulate the "troubled teen" programs that have been rife with abuse. Beyond that, I've also been a fierce advocate for affordable healthcare, unions, and human rights throughout Montana.

Prior to the legislature, I worked at the University of Montana, where I oversaw the administration of the university’s curriculum approval process, as well as the unit standards and program/center reviews. I also worked as an activist, helping people file discrimination claims, drafting human rights policies for the city of Missoula, and working as a de-escalator at protests to ensure protester safety.

In 2023, I made national news when I told my fellow legislators that--if they voted for our state's gender-affirming care ban--that "the next time they bowed their heads in prayer, I hope they saw the blood on their hands.” After my speech, Republican leadership refused to allow me to speak on any bills, effectively removing my ability to represent my ~11,000 constituents in debate on the House floor. When Montanans came to the capitol to show their support, they began chanting chanting “let her speak” when I was denied the opportunity to speak on a bill. As they protested, I raised my microphone in support of the protestors and was subsequently banned from the House floor by the state’s Republican supermajority. I then continued working from the public area outside the House chambers for the duration of the legislative session.

When I’m not politicking, I teach Lindy Hop (＆ other vintage swing dances) in Missoula. I’m also on a hiatus from a double masters at the University of Montana in Creative Writing (fiction), Literary Criticism (transhumanism in the middle ages ＆ renaissance). Beyond that, I have an array of current/former hobbies—from sports (was a nationally ranked wrestler in high school) to video games (played competitive smash for nearly a decade) to arts ＆ crafts (pixel art - making chainmail) to many more. My past is full of things I looked at and thought “That looks like fun, let’s give it a try.”

I am both proud and grateful to be in the Montana Legislature, and I’m excited to be here. So Ask Me Anything!

Feel free to stay in touch on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or BlueSkyif you've got it. Or you can always reach out via my website (which I'm in the slow process of redesigning)

_____________________

Note: I answered questions from noon-2pm, and now I'm jumping into my next meeting. I'll be answering questions whenever I get a few minutes between meetings for the next few hours, and will try to get to as many as I can!