Montana Legislators Need A Bit Of Basic Empathy

The Republican candidate in a hotly contested special House election in Montana was charged with assaulting a journalist on Wednesday at what was to be a final rally in Bozeman on the eve of the vote. The attack brought police officers to the event and sent the reporter to the hospital for X-rays.

After winning a congressional seat, and Trump and other Republicans cheering him on, that thug became governor of Montana.  

So, the people of Montana have a somewhat poor taste for leaders. Still, the legislature's efforts in the promotion of trans hate have been taken to a new level.  Sadly, this is not atypical these days:

The Republican governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte, signed a bill into law on Friday to restrict transition care for transgender minors, joining about a dozen states that have adopted similar laws since the beginning of the year.

The thing that depresses me even more -- it doesn't surprise me at this point, but on a human level, it is so very very horrible -- involves sixty-eight members blocking a trans member from the House floor.  For what? Not even the basically fake grounds in Tennessee involving allegedly aiding a protest on the floor.  For her fucking words:

In a speech on the House floor last week, Ms. Zephyr told her conservative colleagues that the ban would put “blood on your hands,” and that denying transition care would be “tantamount to torture.” For days after, House leadership refused to call on Ms. Zephyr during discussion of any bill up for consideration before the House.

The lack of human empathy here is shared by Gov. Gianfonte who ignored his own child (non-binary) trying to get him to veto it. Some mother said she rather her child die than transition.  So, you have the usual horrible. But, this was the act of sixty-eight legislators.  For a trans person being emotional about something that directly affects who she is.

The lack of basic human decency here is painful.  Can't they -- even if they hate trans people -- on a personal level realize that someone would be emotional about something personal to them?  What if they have a wife or husband or daughter or son or whatever who is personally affected by a piece of legislation?  Can't they understand on a basic human level?

She was recently elected to represent her district.  This is a "screw you" to them.  For what?  Did she show a continual inability to maintain decorum? There wasn't enough time for much of a record to form there!  From what I can tell, she didn't make some personal attack on a specific person, unless the comments are supposed to be impliedly against the person who proposed the bill or something. It's so petty on any level.

A Nebraska state lawmaker and mother to a trans child is being formally investigated over a potential conflict of interest for opposing restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, a move that several senators from both parties were quick to denounce.

Sen. Megan Hunt (Nebraska's unicameral legislators are all senators) has not been polite in challenging anti-trans efforts.  But, members on both sides (how many? I don't know ... but some) have a shadow of humanity on this issue.  Maybe, they can share it with the Montana legislators.

We need to show some human empathy. We can't be monsters.