Transgender, Non-Binary, and Two-Spirit Montanans Powerfully Disrupt the Halls of the Montana State Capitol
Act of protest and solidarity against cruel, vindictive legislative agenda uplifts the strength and resilience of the trans community
Helena – Today, transgender, non-binary, and Two-Spirit Montanans and their allies spent three minutes lying in the halls of the Montana State Capitol, using their bodies and voices to call attention to the lives being relentlessly attacked by the GOP supermajority.
For Trans Day of Visibility, organizers took inspiration from AIDS activists who planned massive, public “die-ins” to shock the government into addressing the disease, as well as from the decades of activists and organizers who have strategically brought attention to injustice through disruption. Protestors uplifted the strength and resiliency of the trans community while disrupting harmful rhetoric and demonstrating solidarity across communities.
Protest organizers Izzy Milch and Chloe Runs Behind with Forward Montana released the following statement:
“All across the country, the lives of transgender, non-binary, and Two-Spirit people are being threatened by abuses of power in our governments, and Montana is no exception. We fear for our lives in the face of all the harm that has been done and will continue to be enacted. We mourn our trans siblings, while at the same time, we witness violence being enacted on this land, on the people who have lived and tended to this place for time immemorial, on our unhoused and housing insecure neighbors.
“All of our lives are being disregarded by callous legislators and an authoritarian supermajority – anti-trans legislation is being propelled forward alongside attacks on reproductive rights, access to healthcare, tenant rights, and energy policy, while legislation to acknowledge the truth of colonialism and bills to address the murderous housing crisis have been shut down.
“Together, we must unite in defense of our lives, our bodies, and our autonomy. Through this action, we joyfully proclaim that our bodies are our own and that our power, together, is stronger than any state.”
It’s also important to acknowledge the harmful effects of widespread anti-trans actions and rhetoric, and offer what little we can in the form of these mental health hotlines. Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860) is a 24/7 hotline to talk with a trans peer, and is divested from police, and the LGBT National Hotline (888-843-4564) has trained LGBTQIA2S+ volunteers who will never report your calls to any outside organization or authority. You are loved, and you are not alone.
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