NEW YORK, April 27 (TNSgov) -- The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union the ACLU of Montana roundly condemned a vote by the Montana House of Representatives baselessly prolonging the de facto censure of Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr (HD-100) and denying her constituents adequate rep  more

WASHINGTON, April 27 (TNStalk) -- The American Constitution Society issued the following statement on April 26, 2023: * * * In a party-line vote, the Montana House of Representatives censured Representative Zooey Zephyr, the state's first openly trans legislator, after she spoke out against anti-trans legislation. In response to the censure, American Constitution Society President Russ Feingold released the following statement: "We resoundingly condemn the partisan and discriminatory censure   more

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, April 29 (TNStalk) -- The Alliance Defending Freedom issued the following statement on April 28, 2023: * * * The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Sharp, director of the ADF Center for Legislative Advocacy, regarding Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte's signing Friday of SB 99, a bill that protects children from dangerous, life-altering medical procedures: "Young people deserve to live in a society that doesn't subject them to ri  more

MISSOULA, Montana, April 25 (TNSgov) -- The Center for Biological Diversity issued the following news release on April 24, 2023: A federal judge today halted logging and road construction for the large Knotty Pine timber sale project in the Kootenai National Forest. The project threatens a small, imperiled population of grizzly bears near the Montana-Canada border. Today's order prohibits the U.S. Forest Service from any ground-disturbing activities, previously set to begin next month, until t  more

HELENA, Montana, April 21 (TNSres) -- Consumer Reports issued the following news release: The Montana state legislature advanced a new privacy bill supported by Consumer Reports. If the bill is approved by Governor Greg Gianforte, Montana would become the eighth state, after California, Virginia, Colorado, Utah, Connecticut, Iowa, and Indiana to extend baseline privacy rights to consumers, including the right to access, delete, and stop the sale of their personal information. CR worked with  more

HELENA, Montana, April 29 -- The Human Rights Campaign issued the following news release on April 27, 2023: The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) -- the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization -- called on Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte to veto the LGBTQ Erasure Act (S. 458), legislation that aims to strip away dozens of legal protections and rights for LGBTQ+ Montanans -- creating a colossal step backwards for LGBTQ+ people at a time when legisl  more

HELENA, Montana, April 27 (TNSgov) -- The Human Rights Campaign issued the following news release on April 26, 2023: The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) -- the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization -- condemned today's vote in the Montana House of Representatives to prohibit Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender lawmaker who has spoken out repeatedly in recent days over legislative efforts to erase and marginalize transgender Montanans under st  more

WASHINGTON, April 29 -- The Human Rights Campaign issued the following news release on April 28, 2023: The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) -- the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization -- condemned Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte today for signing a gender affirming care ban (SB 99) into law. SB 99 is a wide-ranging bill that would make it effectively impossible for health care practitioners to provide age-appropriate, best practice, gender af  more

HELENA, Montana, April 29 (TNSgov) -- The Human Rights Campaign issued the following news release on April 28, 2023: The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) -- the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization -- slammed Governor Gianforte for signing HB 361, which allows for the intentional misgendering and deadnaming of transgender and non-binary students by their peers. "This dangerous bill is a desperate and cruel effort by extremist politicians   more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, April 25 (TNSper) -- The Institute for Justice issued the following news release: Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed HB 353, a bill to revise cosmetology laws that exempts natural hair braiders from licensing requirements. Prior to the bill, Montana braiders were required to get a cosmetology license needing 1500 hours of education. Montana joins the majority of states to become the 33rd that requires no license for natural braiding. "We are excited that Montana is the 33r  more

WASHINGTON, April 28 (TNSgov) -- The National Association of Social Workers issued the following news release: The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is alarmed by attacks on democracy, including actions taken in the Tennessee and Montana state legislatures to silence lawmakers who support sensible gun laws and gender-affirming care. "NASW stands in solidarity with Montana's first transgender state legislator Rep. Zooey Zephyr, who was barred from the House floor for the remainder o  more

HELENA, Montana, April 28 (TNSgov) -- The National Center for Transgender Equality issued the following news release: Rep. Zooey Zephyr, one of two transgender lawmakers in Montana, was censured only days after she was silenced during a legislative hearing by her Republican colleagues. As transgender people's rights are being attacked in legislatures around the country, Rep. Zephyr stood boldly to advocate for our community. In return, she was disrespected on the House floor as a transgender p  more

NEW YORK, April 28 (TNSgov) -- PEN America issued the following news release on April 27, 2023: PEN America said today that the decision by the Montana House to bar Rep. Zooey Zephyr from the House floor, preventing her from participating in debate, is a "betrayal of the democratic process" and a disturbing use of official censure in response to the exercise of free expression. Beginning last week, the Montana House majority leader repeatedly denied Rep. Zooey Zephyr the ability to speak on an  more

WASHINGTON, April 27 (TNStalk) -- People for the American Way issued the following statement on April 26, 2023: * * * Following the vote to deny Representative Zooey Zephyr access to the Montana state House, People For the American Way President Svante Myrick released the following statement: "We condemn the actions of Speaker Matt Regier and the Montana House of Representatives in the unprecedented, unjustified, antidemocratic banishment and ongoing transphobic harassment of Representative Z  more