Montana state lawmakers rejected a proposal to bar Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the state’s first transgender legislator, from using the women’s restroom at the state Capitol, with several Republicans voting with all Democrats to defeat the measure.

“I'm happy to see that this proposed ban failed and am grateful for my colleagues—particularly my republican colleagues—who recognized this as a distraction from the work we were elected to do,” Zephyr wrote on the social platform X. “I'm ready to represent my constituents & look forward to working on behalf of Montana.”

On Tuesday, the Legislature’s Joint Rules Committee met to discuss amending rules before the next legislative session in January, including a measure, introduced by Republican state Rep. Jerry Schillinger, requiring state lawmakers to use restrooms that align with their birth sex.

“It says what probably shouldn’t need to be said and puts into rules what probably shouldn’t need to........

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