It’s been a little over a month since we learned the names Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson. A little over a month since the eyes of the country were laser-focused on Tennesse and the Republicans in the state house. It has been a little over a month since the callous disinterest that the GOP has for the younger generation and those that support them was on full display and they have been called to the carpet ever since. The backlash is not over yet and yet, the state of Montana seems to also want to try their hand at controversy. Widely considered a “flyover state”, Montana decided to stride into the limelight by barring State Representative Zooey Zephyr from the statehouse floor. The issue is that Zephyr, a trans lawmaker, was making a case against keeping children from gender-affirming care. The lawmaker reminded her colleagues that the decision would have disastrous consequences for not only trans youth but also cisgender youth. Gender-affirming care can range from chemical hormones used to curb precocious puberty to therapy. State Rep Zephyr correctly stated that the law would lead to the deaths of many children, which goes against a core tenant of their party’s platform.

But that is not the confusing part. The thing that the people need answers for is what, exactly, they expect from doing this. For the most part, Montana and its legislators have enjoyed relative obscurity, and that sort of lack of oversight tends to make people sloppy. Couple that with the fact that the lawmakers from Tennessee are still being exposed for their hypocrisy, it is a wonder if these lawmakers considered that their actions have consequences. It would be reasonable to ask if they have ever heard of the internet and if they are aware of the power it possesses to draw unsavory things into the light (seeing as how they plan to ban TikTok, the jury is still out). Maybe they are hoping to get away with it like the Oklahoma State House was able to after censuring State Rep Mauree Turner with little to no fanfare, and that might have been true. That is, if not for Tennessee. So, what do they think is going to happen?  It is hard to say, but in a little over a month, maybe things would be clearer.