In 2025, the targeting of transgender people in bathrooms has emerged as a top Republican priority. Following the 2024 election, Congresswoman Nancy Mace launched an aggressive hate campaign against the first transgender congresswoman, Sarah McBride. Over several days, Mace posted hundreds of demeaning comments about McBride on social media, demanding that she be banned from using women’s restrooms. Her efforts culminated in Speaker Mike Johnson adopting a policy barring McBride from using such restrooms. Now, Montana Republicans are taking this crusade even further: they have announced that one of the first bills to be considered in 2025 will be a bathroom ban for transgender adults in public buildings. If passed, the legislation could have profound consequences for the state’s two transgender elected officials, Representatives SJ Howell and Zooey Zephyr, as well as all transgender people in the state.

The bill, House Bill 121, was introduced by Republican Kerri Seekins-Crowe, who once stated that she would not allow her child to transition if it would prevent their suicide. It has garnered 35 co-sponsors — a significant portion of Montana’s Republican Party. If enacted, it would rank among the most extreme bathroom bans in the country, prohibiting transgender individuals from using restrooms that match their gender identity in all publicly owned facilities across the state.

Notably, the bill’s scope covers all “public buildings,” defined as any facility “owned or leased by a public agency.” This broad definition extends to rest stops, public colleges and universities, public schools, libraries, museums, state airports, publicly owned hospitals, park restrooms, and more. The measure would also include Montana’s state capitol building and courthouses.

The bill comes on the heels of a contentious vote by Montana’s Republican rules committee, which narrowly rejected a proposal to bar transgender Representative Zooey Zephyr from using women’s restrooms in the state capitol. During that meeting, Republican David Bedey, one of four Republicans to vote against the measure, expressed skepticism about its utility,........

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