Pride flags are as common a sight in the college town of Missoula as the peaks of Montana’s Rattlesnake Mountains
The sun rises beyond Mount Sentinel and downtown Missoula, Mont., Tuesday, April 25, 2023. It was little surprise that Missoula, a college town where pride flags are a common sight, sent Zooey Zephyr to the state legislature. Zephyr, the first openly transgender legislator in Montana’s history, was barred last week from speaking on the floor of the legislature by the Republican majority.
“When she first ran I thought, ‘They’re going to do something to limit her power,’” said Erin Flint, 28, a native who plans to enroll in the university to earn a graduate degree in art education. But she didn’t expect a step as dramatic as gagging the new lawmaker. Zeke Cork, 62, one of The Center’s board members, recalled the 1970s as a great time to be out in Missoula, though he acknowledged he still was aware he had to follow certain rules to be safe. A railroad dispatcher, Cork has lived all over the United States but came back to Montana in 2015. He felt safe enough to transition fully two years ago.
But, Cork added, the community has no choice. “She speaks for me, and I sent her to that house,” said Cork, who lives in Zephyr’s district. “We’re fighting for democracy right now.” “They have a right to speak,” said Jim McConnell. “But in Montana, they're barking up the wrong tree.”
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