The son of Montana governor Greg Gianforte has called on their father not to sign several bills that would harm the transgender community in the state.
David Gianforte, who identifies as non-binary and uses he/they pronouns, said they met their father last month to lobby against supporting measures that they described as "immoral, unjust, and frankly a violation of human rights”.
They told the Montana Free Press that they felt an obligation to use their relationship with the governor to stand up for the LGBT+ community.
“There are a lot of important issues passing through the legislature right now,” they told the governor, according to the outlet.
“For my own sake I’ve chosen to focus primarily on transgender rights, as that would significantly directly affect a number of my friends … I would like to make the argument that these bills are immoral, unjust, and frankly a violation of human rights.”
The 32-year-old Bozeman resident said they initially reached out to their father through email, urging that he veto the bill via email, including one that defines sex as strictly binary and bans minors from attending drag shows.
“I would like to better understand your thoughts and concerns. When can we get together to talk about it? Love, Dad,” Governor Gianforte wrote to his son in an email.
They later made an appointment to meet in the governor’s office and the son read their father an official statement. The statement was to the Free Press.
A spokesperson for Governor Gianforte told the outlet that the "governor loves his family and values their thoughts, ideas and perspectives".
"Our office will not discuss private conversations between the governor and members of his family."
Republicans have moved at least 10 bills in the Montana state legislature this session targetting transgender people. They are considering bills that would ban drag shows, allow for the deadnaming and misgendering of trans youth, strip anti-discrimination protections from state law, allow medical providers to deny people care for personal reasons, and ban gender-affirming treatments.
Republican lawmakers voted on Wednesday to bar a transgender Democrat Zooey Zephyr from the assembly chamber after she blasted them for banning gender-affirming medical care. The vote to remove her was passed along party lines, in a chamber where Republicans outnumbered Democrats 68 to 32.
Ms Zephyr was already banned from taking the floor for the rest of the 2023 session, after refusing to apologise for telling Republicans they would have "blood on [their] hands".
On Monday, riot police descended into the House viewing gallery and arrested seven people, as protesters rallied against the ongoing silencing of Rep Zephyr, the first transgender person elected to the state legislature in Montana’s history.
David Gianforte added that they didn’t expect their lobbying to ultimately change the outcome, but “I feel like I have a voice and I can be heard”.
“And I feel, not only in communicating with my father, that’s not necessarily the main point, but also just showing support for the transgender community in Montana. I think that could be meaningful, especially at this time.”
