“The View” co-hosts raged at the Montana legislature on Thursday for suspending a transgender lawmaker who disrupted proceedings over legislation banning transgender procedures for minors.
Democratic state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a biological male, accused Republicans in the legislature of “torture” and having “blood on their hands” for passing the Youth Health Protection Act, which would ban all transgender medical procedures for minors. Zephyr refused to apologize after being reprimanded, and the speaker did not allow him to make remarks during a general debate.
Protesters then stormed the floor chanting “Let her speak!” in response to the punishment, forcing the legislature to postpone its legislative session. The state representative then released a statement in support of the protesters. In response, a two-thirds majority of the state house of representatives voted by to suspend Zephyr.
“What the hell is going on in this country? That’s what I want to know,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg said. “What are the rules that say, ‘I don’t like what you’re saying, so I’m gonna get a whole bunch of people to think like I think and we’re gonna ban you from talking. When did that become the law of the land?”
“Funny you should ask, because I looked it up and there is no law that says that,”co-host Sunny Hostin said.
“The whole point of this country is that we have to learn how to live together,” Goldberg said. “I don’t have to agree with everything that you agree with, you don’t have to agree with everything I agree with, that’s why we have two parties, that’s why we have these constitutions!”
“And don’t you want someone from the transgender community in the legislature to speak to her lived experience?” Hostin added. “To speak on behalf of her constituents because what she was saying was ‘I am fielding calls from families in Montana.’ That’s the kid of representation you need!” (RELATED: ‘The View’ Rages Over Banning Kids From Drag Shows)
Goldberg argued that trans people need to be in the legislature in the same way women and gay people should be in political power so they can represent constituents like them. Only 1.6% of American adults identify as transgender or “non-binary,” with 5.1% of them being millennials or Generation Z, according to Pew Research.
Goldberg then claimed that Republicans are violating parents’ rights by not allowing them to decide if their children undergo sex change operations, hormone procedures or puberty blockers. She also raged against Republicans for banning pornographic books from school libraries.
“I can’t decide what my kid reads, I can’t decide for my child what my child says is going on,” she said. “You’re telling me your beliefs and you keep saying it and I keep saying ‘what Bible are you reading?’ Because God was really clear!”
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin lamented against the rise in “anti-trans sentiment” in the U.S. and said Goldberg made a conservative argument by saying parents and doctors should decide if children undergo irreversible procedures.