For those who would rather read an article than watch a YouTube video, this article by Erin Reed, independent journalist and wife of Zooey Zephyr, looks pretty good. There's also a Guardian...
For those who would rather read an article than watch a YouTube video, this article by Erin Reed, independent journalist and wife of Zooey Zephyr, looks pretty good. There's also a Guardian article that seems to be based on it.
More general coverage of the Montana legislature can be found in this article:
Relationships. People have to see you as people first and ideology second....it has become even more difficult, dangerous even, but it remains the most effective. People won't even try to hear...
Howell & I have built solid relationships with Republicans and those relationships change hearts, minds, and (eventually) votes. It is painful, grueling work. But it makes a difference.”
Relationships. People have to see you as people first and ideology second....it has become even more difficult, dangerous even, but it remains the most effective. People won't even try to hear reason from an enemy, but they will at least sit through a speech from a friend. Perhaps this difficult work is more urgent than before.
She attributes the success this time not to repeated floor speeches (the publicly seen "standing up"), but to long-term behind-the-scenes relationship building that primed her colleagues to be...
Following the vote, Representative Zephyr... posted on her bluesky account. “Howell & I have built solid relationships with Republicans and those relationships change hearts, minds, and (eventually) votes. It is painful, grueling work. But it makes a difference.”
She attributes the success this time not to repeated floor speeches (the publicly seen "standing up"), but to long-term behind-the-scenes relationship building that primed her colleagues to be receptive to her speech.
Yes, I'm aware there's work behind the speeches, I was sort of making a rhetorical, motivational point about why it's important to stand up for trans rights especially after the previous thread...
She attributes the success this time not to repeated floor speeches (the publicly seen "standing up"), but to long-term behind-the-scenes relationship building that primed her colleagues to be receptive to her speech.
Yes, I'm aware there's work behind the speeches, I was sort of making a rhetorical, motivational point about why it's important to stand up for trans rights especially after the previous thread where once again lots of people suggested maybe this was too many rights to ask for, and maybe this specific right was in fact unreasonable.
It's the classic Niemöller problem. If it becomes acceptable to deny the human rights of one group, it never stops with just {insert despised minority}. I don't know what Reps. Zephyr and Howell...
It's the classic Niemöller problem. If it becomes acceptable to deny the human rights of one group, it never stops with just {insert despised minority}.
I don't know what Reps. Zephyr and Howell did to effectively rub their opponents' noses in the fact of their common humanity, but it's shameful that they had to fight alone.
At least based on the information in the article, Rep. Zephyr bonded with Republican Rep. Essman over mom stuff. Essman connected with the speech part where Zephyr talked about being a mom, and...
At least based on the information in the article, Rep. Zephyr bonded with Republican Rep. Essman over mom stuff. Essman connected with the speech part where Zephyr talked about being a mom, and turned the talking point from trans rights to parental rights, then other Republicans jumped on the parental rights bandwagon. I don't see any nose-rubbing in the story the article tells.
Not necessarily responding to your short comment specifically, but it reminds me of seeing (on other social media platforms) threads of people all agreeing with each other that attempts to engage with Republicans are immoral, and for anyone else reading along I wanted to reply. That attitude is frustrating to me because if followed it blocks out all possibility of what happened here. I get that the very large majority of such reaching out attempts are futile, which is awful, but when they work they make a difference in themselves, and lay the groundwork for higher successful connections in the future.
For those who would rather read an article than watch a YouTube video, this article by Erin Reed, independent journalist and wife of Zooey Zephyr, looks pretty good. There's also a Guardian article that seems to be based on it.
More general coverage of the Montana legislature can be found in this article:
Montana’s 2025 Legislature is halfway over. Here’s some of what lawmakers have done. (Montana Free Press)
Unfortunately some anti-trans bills passed.
Relationships. People have to see you as people first and ideology second....it has become even more difficult, dangerous even, but it remains the most effective. People won't even try to hear reason from an enemy, but they will at least sit through a speech from a friend. Perhaps this difficult work is more urgent than before.
This is why it's worth standing up every time, even when you fail sometimes; because you might succeed at least once.It's apparently not.
She attributes the success this time not to repeated floor speeches (the publicly seen "standing up"), but to long-term behind-the-scenes relationship building that primed her colleagues to be receptive to her speech.
Yes, I'm aware there's work behind the speeches, I was sort of making a rhetorical, motivational point about why it's important to stand up for trans rights especially after the previous thread where once again lots of people suggested maybe this was too many rights to ask for, and maybe this specific right was in fact unreasonable.
But yeah never mind.
It's the classic Niemöller problem. If it becomes acceptable to deny the human rights of one group, it never stops with just {insert despised minority}.
I don't know what Reps. Zephyr and Howell did to effectively rub their opponents' noses in the fact of their common humanity, but it's shameful that they had to fight alone.
At least based on the information in the article, Rep. Zephyr bonded with Republican Rep. Essman over mom stuff. Essman connected with the speech part where Zephyr talked about being a mom, and turned the talking point from trans rights to parental rights, then other Republicans jumped on the parental rights bandwagon. I don't see any nose-rubbing in the story the article tells.
Not necessarily responding to your short comment specifically, but it reminds me of seeing (on other social media platforms) threads of people all agreeing with each other that attempts to engage with Republicans are immoral, and for anyone else reading along I wanted to reply. That attitude is frustrating to me because if followed it blocks out all possibility of what happened here. I get that the very large majority of such reaching out attempts are futile, which is awful, but when they work they make a difference in themselves, and lay the groundwork for higher successful connections in the future.