Montana Republicans misgender trans lawmaker in letter calling for civility

As legislators in Montana debated a bill Tuesday that would ban gender-affirming care for minors, state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D), one of two transgender lawmakers in the House, made an impassioned plea to her colleagues to reject the legislation.

Withholding treatment from children struggling with gender identity, she said, amounted to torture — and could result in trauma, harm or suicide.