Zooey Zephyr is on a wild ride through the halls of the Montana State Capitol building. She represents Missoula in the Montana House of Representatives. Zooey didn’t necessarily seek out the political arena; it was frustration at seeing anti-LGBTQ and transgender bills being passed that spurred her to run. She was sworn into the Montana House in November 2022, becoming the first openly transgender person to be elected to the Montana Legislature.
We immediately found out that government work is no joke. Zooey tries to help us understand the inner workings of the job: how she balances different needs and allegiances and navigating the tidal wave of 1,800 bills during the 90-day session. All this while keeping her principles and promises grounded. The job can be a seemingly impossible task while simultaneously being completely worth the effort.
Zooey is most widely known for speaking out during the 2023 legislative session in opposition of multiple anti-trans and LGBTQ bills. She shares the moments leading up to and through the experience of being silenced, and eventually censured, from the House floor, resulting in protests, violence, and arrests. Throughout the chaos, Zooey stood at her desk, calmly and symbolically holding her microphone over her head, asking to speak truth on behalf of the transgender and LGBTQ community she cares deeply about.
Even while revisiting these challenges, participating in the democratic process energizes Zooey in passionate and thoughtful ways. She gets the same twinkle in her eyes while talking about visiting Glacier National Park with her family and friends. As well as painting… and gaming. Proof there’s still a lot of gas left in her tank.
Oh, and belting out Broadway showtunes… we can’t wait to join her for that.
Of all the places, Zooey Zephyr calls Missoula, Montana home.
For more information, check out Zooey’s Wikipedia page (And, yes, we’re all jealous she has one): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zooey_Zephyr and keep up with her work on Instagram at @zoandbehold
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