HELENA, Mont. (AP) — State of Montana Representative Zooey Zephyr The transgender lawmaker is seeking re-election in a race that would allow her to return to the House of Representatives after nearly two years. silenced and confirmed by their Republican colleagues.

Zephyr, a Democrat, is heavily favored to beat Republican Barbara Starmer in her Democratic-leaning district in the college town of Missoula. Republicans still dominate statewide, with control of the governor’s office and a two-thirds majority in the Legislature.

The first-term Democrat was last allowed to speak in the chamber in April 2023, when he refused to apologize after some lawmakers said he would do so. blood on your hands for supporting a ban on gender-affirming medical care for young people.

Before you vote Take Zephyr out of the roomRepublicans called his remarks hateful and accused him of inciting a protest that would temporarily halt the session. Some even tried to equate the non-violent demonstration with a violent act. riot.

His exile technically ended when the 2023 session adjourned, but since the Legislature does not convene this year, he must win re-election to return to the long-awaited House bench in 2025.

Zephyr said he hopes the upcoming session will focus less on politicizing the lives of transgender people, including his own, and more on issues that affect a broader swath of Montana residents, such as housing affordability and access to health care.

“Misoula is a city that took care of me during the most difficult times of my life. It is a city that I love deeply,” he told the Associated Press. “So for me, it’s a joy and a privilege to have the chance to get back in that room and fight for the community that I serve.”

Zephyr’s clash with Republicans in Montana has thrust him into the national spotlight at a time when GOP-led legislatures are considering hundreds of bills to restrict transgender people. sport, schools, healthcare And other areas of public life.

Since then a Leading voice for transgender rights helps fight a nationwide flood anti-trans rhetoric Donald Trump and his allies are on the presidential campaign trail. The campaign season is split between Montana and other states where Democrats face competitive races.

Zephyr said he sees his case as one of several examples of powerful Republicans undermining basic tenets of democracy to silence dissent. He warned voters that a new Trump presidency could further erode democracy nationally, citing the then-president’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump’s vice presidential pick is Ohio Sen. J.D. Vancehe said He doesn’t think his running mate lost. The 2020 election reflected Trump’s previous false claims that the presidential election was stolen from him.

Zephyr sanction comes weeks after Tennessee Republicans was fired Democratic Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson of the Legislature for chanting with gun control supporters who packed the House gallery in response to a protest Nashville school shooting He killed six people, three of whom were children. Jones and Pearson were later reinstated.

Oklahoma Republicans too condemned a non-binary Democratic colleague after state troopers say lawmakers blocked them from questioning an activist accused of assaulting a police officer while protesting a bill banning minors from using drugs. gender affirming careLike drugs and hormones that block puberty.

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Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City.