Titone Leads Bipartisan Letter to Montana Legislators

DENVER, CO - Representative Brianna Titone today led over 75 bipartisan elected officials in Colorado in sending a letter to Montana legislators asking for Rep. Zooey Zephyr to be allowed back into the chamber.

In their letter, the elected officials wrote:

Your actions strike at the heart of our democracy and the rights of Montanans to have their voices heard. Removing Representative Zephyr from the House chamber is yet one more attempt to erase trans people and silence them in the face of increasing violence, threats to their lives, and laws that seek to deny their humanity and basic human rights. 

As elected officials, it is our responsibility to act with integrity and defend our democracy, and we are deeply concerned with erosion of democratic norms we see proliferating in statehouses across the country. Representative Zephyr should be allowed to remain in her seat in your chamber for the remainder of the session. Regardless of your personal stance on these issues, she is still a colleague and a duly elected and sworn representative of the people of Montana. Her voice is no less important than your own.

The full text of the letter is below:

Members of the Montana House of Representatives:

We, the undersigned Colorado elected officials, express our extreme dismay at your decision to prohibit Representative Zooey Zephyr from participating in the legislative process and representing her district. We rise in support of a lawmaker who is doing what she has been charged to do: Stand up and speak out on behalf of constituents on issues directly impacting them. 

As elected officials, we know very well that our work can be full of passion and emotion when lives are on the line. In the case of Representative Zephyr, she was right to speak with strong words of advocacy for those Montana residents who are struggling to get the care, understanding, and respect they so desperately need. Her words were spoken passionately, but they alone did not cross any lines of decorum. It is a fact that LGBTQ+ youth–  who are relentlessly persecuted, ostracized, and denied basic rights–are more than four times  as likely to attempt suicide than their peers, according to the CDC. 

Representative Zephyr placed a spotlight of truth on the very real damage proposed legislation could have on Montanans who are already struggling with discrimination and growing fear of physical harm. The decision to ban her from the chamber and prevent her from speaking is a drastic overreaction in response to her speaking truth to power. 

Your actions strike at the heart of our democracy and the rights of Montanans to have their voices heard. Removing Representative Zephyr from the House chamber is yet one more attempt to erase trans people and silence them in the face of increasing violence, threats to their lives, and laws that seek to deny their humanity and basic human rights. 

As elected officials, it is our responsibility to act with integrity and defend our democracy, and we are deeply concerned with erosion of democratic norms we see proliferating in statehouses across the country. Representative Zephyr should be allowed to remain in her seat in your chamber for the remainder of the session. Regardless of your personal stance on these issues, she is still a colleague and a duly elected and sworn representative of the people of Montana. Her voice is no less important than your own.

Signed,

Representative Brianna Titone,

Statewide Officials

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold

Colorado State Treasurer Dave Young

Colorado State Senators and Representatives

House Speaker Julie McCluskie

Senate President Steve Fenberg

House Majority Leader Monica Duran

Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno

Rep. Ruby Dickson

Rep. Jenny Willford

Rep. David Ortiz

Rep. Kyle Brown

Rep. Sheila Lieder 

Rep. Cathy Kipp

Rep. Lindsey Daugherty

Rep. Steven Woodrow

Rep. Mary Young

Rep. Barbara McLachlan

Rep. Meg Froelich

Rep. Lorena Garcia

Rep. Steph Vigil

Rep. Jennifer Lea Parenti

Rep. Michael J. Weissman

Rep. Mandy Lindsay

Rep. Junie Joseph 

Rep. Karen McCormick

Rep. Said Sharbini

Rep. Elizabeth Velasco

Rep. Regina English

Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez 

Rep. Elisabeth Epps 

Sen. Lisa A Cutter

Rep. Tammy Story

Rep. Naquetta Ricks

Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet

Rep. Andrew Boesenecker 

Rep. Iman Jodeh

Rep. Emily Sirota

Rep. Shannon Bird

Rep. Marc Snyder

Rep. Meghan Lukens

Rep. Jennifer Bacon

Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy

Sen. Janet Buckner 

Sen. Julie Gonzales

Sen. Nick Hinrichsen

Sen. Janice Marchman

Rep. Eliza Hamrick 

Rep. Matthew Martinez

Rep. Ron Weinberg 

Sen. Rhonda Fields

Sen. Faith Winter

Rep. Javier Mabrey

Rep. Judy Amabile

Rep. William Lindstedt

Sen. Rachel Zenzinger

Rep. Leslie Herod

Rep. Bob Marshall

Rep. Rick Taggart

Rep. Tisha Mauro

Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis

Sen. Chris Hansen

Sen. Dylan Roberts

Sen. Jeff Bridges

Rep. Alex Valdez

Sen. Jessie Danielson

Sen. Tony Exum

Local Government Officials

Castle Pines City Councilman Roger D. Hudson

Broomfield Mayor Guyleen Castriotta

Arvada City Councilmember Randy Moorman

Arvada City Councilmember Lauren Simpson

Erie Trustee Emily Baer

Erie Trustee Daniel Hoback

Erie Mayor Justin Brooks

Boulder County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann

Greeley City Councilor Tommy Butler

Greeley City Councilor Member Deborah L DeBoutez

Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett

Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon