The Silencing of Zooey Zephyr and Other Young Leaders Isn’t Just Abhorrent—It’s Bound to Backfire

On April 26, yet another elected state representative was barred from speaking in their own house chamber.

This time it was Montana rep Zooey Zephyr, a millennial trans woman who spoke against a bill to ban gender-affirming care, stating that proponents would have “blood on their hands.” In so doing, she cited the alarming rates of suicide and suicidal ideation among transgender youth—while pointing to evidence that gender-affirming care can help significantly reduce those rates.

In the wake of the controversy, many of Zephyr’s colleagues continue to push for her complete removal from office. Last Tuesday, a district court judge determined it was outside of his authority to overrule the state house’s decision.

Opponents claim Zephyr is being punished for violating “decorum.” This is a classic smokescreen, of course—the same one used to justify the removal of the “Tennessee Three.” In both cases, the term “decorum” is so broad and vague as to be devoid of meaning.

That three of the four people involved are both young and from historically marginalized communities—Zephyr, and Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, who are Black—shouldn’t be lost on anyone.

Indeed, I believe this is why they’re being targeted.

Zephyr's story marks yet another inflection point in the fast-intensifying fight by the right to disenfranchise young voters—and deny trans people of their rights.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, since the start of 2023, more than 400 anti-trans bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country. While the scope of these disgusting and discriminatory measures is vast, the through-line is all too obvious: the right has declared war on the transgender community.

Sadly for them, it’s a battle they’re bound to lose—and young people are the reason why.

Each year, more than 4 million 17-year-olds become eligible to vote. Between federal elections that’s more than 8 million new voters. A study conducted by Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government found that young Americans are the most diverse, inclusive, and progressive Americans in history.

Another recent study from Gallup revealed that the number of Gen Zers who identify as trans is almost twice that of millennials (millennials, in turn, are more than three times as likely to identify as trans than Gen Xers).?

For right wing anti-democracy forces, this is nothing short of a nightmare scenario as Trump lawyer Cleta Mitchell was exposed saying??(Link): a voting bloc of tens of millions of progressive young voters and students must be stopped. The right’s attack is?to disallow student IDs and voters (in states like Ohio, Florida, Idaho, and others)

Young voters energetically support trans people. They also understand how the issue of trans rights intersects with so many other critical equality concerns like the skyrocketing cost of healthcare and the struggle for racial justice and equity.

It's an energy that our organization, Civic Influencers, is working hard to foster and?support. Following the 2020 election, it was clear that youth-voting power was on the rise as were efforts to suppress it.

Our data driven effort to keep growing the voting power of young people was twofold: use on-the-ground data to identify tight-margin House districts where a few hundred or thousand votes could swing an election; and deploy pro-democracy young people (our Civic Influencers) on local campuses—particularly community colleges, People of Color-serving institutions, and trade, technical, and vocational schools—to inspire and empower their peers to make their votes count.

What does all this have to do with trans rights and the silencing of debate in state governments, you ask? Organizations like ours are “turbocharging” GenZ voters by helping them make the connection between the importance of voting and the issues they care about: climate change, gun control, racial justice, and so on.

Not surprisingly, trans rights is one of the biggest issues motivating young voters today. Not only do Gen Zers identify as trans at higher rates than older generations; they’re far more empathetic when it comes to challenges faced by historically marginalized communities. They care about their peers. They care about their generation. Stories like those of Zooey Zephyr will only serve to amplify those convictions.

If the right thinks that silencing trans people will help them in 2024, they’re in for an even ruder awakening than they got in 2020 and 2022. GenZ voters aren’t motivated by a single issue or cause, but a whole range of them. More importantly, they understand how to connect the dots—perhaps better than any generation in history.

Young people are becoming more aware that they have the power to transform our country for the better. And they intend to do just that.

Maxim Thorne is the CEO of Civic Influencers, a 501(c)3 nonpartisan nonprofit committed to empowering young people to make their voices heard—and their votes count. Learn more about Civic Influencers at www.civicinfluencers.org.