Thread by @Dragonfly_Darcy

At the hearing for SB99, the anti trans bill. Room is full, we are sitting in the gallery which is filling up.

#mtleg

Senator Fuller opening with his propaganda against trans kids.

He just equated the "decision" to be trans with the decision to do child porn. 🙄

He says it is a false premise to equate this bill with the government inserting themselves into family's decisions. That doctors are supposed to "do no harm" and the government has to protect kids even from their "parents influence".

Oh great. There's a line up of old dudes trying to take our kids rights away. Super fun. 1st proponent is talking about their detransition as why he wants to force all kids to detransition.

He's telling the story of another kid who contacted him on his website about getting help to detransition. Said the kid got addicted to porn which changed his mind about gender. Says he's gotten 10,000 emails from people who want to detransition & regret their transition

Now we're talking about Sweden.

He's hitting all the anti talking points.

Next proponent. She is "concerned about the wellbeing of children suffering from gender dysphoria". Has a heart tugging story about hating her body & going through surgery. Now regrets top surgery.

She is lamenting her "mutilated body" and how men aren't interested in her due to not having breasts. She timed out while talking about her missing breasts.

Next proponent is saying she got gender dysphoria from sexual assault. Inferring dysphoria is a trauma induced thing.

Honestly her story is really sad and I'm mad people in her life didn't help her.

Dr. Sandra Marston is now abusing her status as a physical therapist? to say her clients need mental health help & how children don't know who they are, we need to affirm that they are born perfect and brilliant.

She called trans kids following a "false narrative" of believing something is wrong with them and they need drugs and surgery. Quoted scripture. Said wr chain our kids to a billion $$ industry of transitioning.

Next dude says he resents outside people forcing their opinions on our state.

(Apparently no kids are born trans in Montana.) 🙄

Says kids wil grow up and committed suicide for destroying their bodies.

Oooh. Heritage Foundation in the house.

He's spouting bogus stats about people who regret following a "dangerous ideology of gender theory".

"Gender affirming is sex denying". -heritage hate group dude

"Dirty little secret...no long term studies that affirming care helps long term".

Liar.

Family Research Council hate group in the house.

Lady is throwing around her credentials and claiming kids can't make their own decisions. Says something about 20,000 brain scans that's a little irrelevant.

She's using lots of clinical language and it's all bullshit but only educated, informed people would know that.

Also trying to claim sexual abuse causes kids to hate their bodies.

Dude from Oregon who says his role is to help people who navigate away from "the LGBTQ" and how they've all found peace and healing from LGBTQ. It is "dangerous" to question one's gender today.

Sorry dude. You even sound gay, conversion therapy isn't working.

Jim Riley. Quoting the testimony about missing breasts that the other lady ran out of time to say.

Jared Evans. He is "giving a parents perspective" days this dangerous stuff isn't happening just in NY, it's happening right under our noses. Is telling the story of his teen leaving home & never speaking to them again.

I wish I knew who this girl is. 😢

Says he read her journal which talked about meeting w/ her counselor who ultimately turned his daughter against them for being Christians. He's big mad about her using an alternate name in school, lambasting the school for influencing & hiding her issues with them.

Next dude is here is the grandfather who hates Bridgercare & Belgrade schools & had beem using our school board to promote his hate. Says he's protecting his grandkids.

He kinda sounds like he's just spouting acronyms and bogus percentages which may or may not go together....

"FOLLOW THE MONEY"

🤦‍♀️

Oooh it's quack Dr. Al!!

He actually claims we make laws to protect kids from guns. 😆

Narrator: we do not.

My friend next me: they're just making shit up!!

Next lady says all drugs and surgeries have side affects and consequences.

In other news, water is wet.

Next lady: kids brains aren't developed until they're 25. No one should make mind and body altering manipulations.

Next lady has 200 signatures in support of this bill.

Probably all from 1 church.

I can't up with all of these people spouting bullshit, y'all

"O slough of attacks in our families and youth is why we need this bill...majority wants this...traditional family values." Says people who oppose this bill are speaking out of tlboth aides of our mouth. Saying we're all going to hear things from opposition we shouldn't believe.

Apparently we don't get our opinions respected because it violates his family's wellbeing

Now he's putting in a plug to defeat Jon Testor. 🙄

Phew, that dude just wanted a platform for his hate. He hopes to ban trans people from the entire country

Another person finishing someone else's statement who ran out of time. Why is this allowed?

Lady says kids shouldn't be allowed to choose their gender or "species".

I cannot roll my eyes hard enough.

Restore Liberty in the house.
The anti trans activists came out for this.

Some dude who is a leader of a Christian organization. BIg Sky World Organization in Billing. Said there is a "5000% increase in girls coming out as trans".

I'm sure that's a completely legit stat.

Said he saw a documentary about someome named Daisy and he has some picture of a mutilated person?

Next lady said she seriously wanted to be a boy. Said today she'd be forced to transition in her state. Children shouldn't make life altering decisions.

Montana Fsmily Foundation in the house. Commending detransitioners for their bravery. Making them into martyrs, saying so may are too broken to come speak publicly. Said a girl died because of a school counselor who was hired by Russia to groom kids in their school??

I did not have school counselors as Russian spys on my bingo card.

Going to zoom proponents now.

Mom's for Liberty in the house.
They strongly support parents rights. But they do not support parents rights to do life altering surgeries on kids.

Do you think they circumcised their sons?

Dude from whitefish says as a parent & grandparent he's seen kids are impressionable & confused. Says surgeries are damaging for kids and lucrative for professionals.

"Opportunities for unscrupulous providers to come here" and mutilate our kids.

More people spouting off about surgeries no one performs here, kids not knowing their own mind, and how we need to protect kids.

Another lady claiming that she wanted to be a boy, hated growing boobs & getting a period, so transitioning shouldn't be allowed. Also mentioned Sweden.

Dr. Gillis from @BozemanHealth here to spout more anti trans bullshit. She's an OB/GYN at BH Women's Specialists.

Hey Bozeman Health. You need to clean the shit out of your practice or else stop claiming to support families and be inclusive.

More Moms for Liberty. Puberty blockers and hormones are "Biggest ethical scandal of our time". She's going on about how much money doctors make in transitioning.

Next guy says this is "all about the money".

Says this isn't a parental rights issue, it's child mutilation, child abuse, and equates parents like me with horrific child abuse.

Psych from NY misusing her credentials to bash gender affirming care. Didn't catch her name.

Endocrinologist from Utah speaking bullshit now.

Folk, anti trans activists from all over the US are showing up in Montana to promote their agenda. Its not lost on me that every other person is claiming ppl from out of state are coming to promote their gender affirming agenda.

Cheryl Tuskins son is speaking and seems to be as ignorant and hateful as his mother.

Someone from OK speaking now. "Thousands" have contacted her regretting their "transgenderism". Has a story of regretting transition, that transition isn't "real".

Honestly her story is also really sad, no one helped her, & the church finally got ahold of her.

Now Cheryl Tusken, Bozeman resident anti mask crusader, failed school board candidate, anti vaxxer, and loving of doxxing fellow parents is speaking bullshit.

Lady is now speaking about her autistic granddaughter. Says "they are targeting our special needs kids". Says she has no contact. Seems parents have cut off contact but she's so concerned her gc is dressing like a boy.

SK Rossi in the house!!!
Finally get to opponents, starting with the best. 😊

SK is explaining the bill and history of it.

SK on a roll!!
Such a relief after listening to 1.5 hours of bullshit.

Sorry, went down to get in line and couldn't hear testimony. Someone pulled up the live feed on their phone so we are listening to it now. Some amazing people giving testimony now.

It's so nice to hear inclusion, support, & kindness after everything we just had to listen to. I can't livetwet as much now, I'm in line to speak but it might be a while yet. There's a live feed somewhere, if someone wants to find it I'll retweet.

I will refer you all to Erin's live tweets as I stand in line:

https://twitter.com/ErinInTheMorn/status/1619019326337740809?t=WEvr4vIx_Q_iI6i4b4Algw&s=19

Phew I'm back y'all. That was a bit intimidating, not gonna lie. But it matters. Every voice matters. I'm so happy to be among the crowd standing and speaking today.

We will fight. And we will win.

GO @keegan_medrano!!

I'm going to cry at every story now as an emotional release after testifying, aren't I?

" you may legislate with hate but we will protect each other with love".

Forward Montana in the house. Izzy is speaking truth to power.

"As if their lives are up for debate."

These two have looked bored since the opponents started speaking. I looked right at Manzella a few times when I spoke.

Dang, Belgrade folkx represent!

GO @kevhamm!!

"We've always asked that government stay out of our lives.

Damn, the puny, pathetic committe just tone-policed Kev.

Pretty sure I was just as loud snd they all just let me talk...

Parent; puberty blockers saved my son's life.

These three stooges: *don't give a shit*
#mtleg

The lady that was sitting next to me this whole time listening to me mutter under my breath is speaking for Benefis. LEAVE

My beautiful friend Jess is giving a very emotional and personal plea and I am losing it. 😢❤️ she's always the steady, strong voice to my fire. This committee has no heart or humanity.

That was supposed to say "leverage the corporations".

The beautiful, brave Rep. Zooey Zephyr standing up and speaking out. She is the last to speak.

She's talking about joy of being trans, of being part of the conversation.

"We will fight like hell for you".

Hear her well. #mtleg

They're weirdly letting a proponent speak now on zoom who didn't get to socks before. She's says we should "all be ashamed of yourself" for allowing gender affirming care. She's blabbing on about body parts, periods, pads. Called all of us parents "lazy"

Apparently all the work we've done to get care for our kids is "lazy parenting"

Fuck that twatwaffle. 🖕

Rebecca Miller, over here calling people "busybodies". 😆👍

Go, pastor from Great Falls!
He called out the lady who called us lazy cowards. Lol

Lots of great testimony via Zoom. I think it's winding down now. Love this dude who told the committee to leave their ego out of this.

If this passes, it seems we'll have every medical organization and insurance company in the state on the lawsuit....

Love this lady "table this bill and keep it there!"

Has these vibes:

Scripture being quoted on the floor in support of trans folks.

Turn their own Bible again them.

It should be noted that 99% of opponents who spoke are all Montanans.

That was not the case for proponents. They brought in anti trans activits from all over the place.

Yet we're supposed to believe "they" are bringing in out of state interests to turn our kids trans. #mtleg

A 13yo is speaking, y'all.
THIRTEEN
"I'm not a monster or a vampire.
No one forced me to be trans.
Being trans is not a choice, it's simply who I am."
The passion & ferocity of this kid!
River, I don't know you, but I love you. ❤️

Manzella doesn't like this speaker but Manzalla was overruled and the speaker was allowed to keep going. Lol Ima just sit here and glare at her some more. If she doesn't like being told she's oppressing people maybe she could try not to oppress people.

Manzella getting bored of hearing people speak against this bill, scrolling on her phone. Nbd, she's just trying to take people's rights away. Not that she sees LGBTQ folks as people...and is Fuller falling asleep? #mtleg

She got off her phone long enough to have a staring contest with me. I won

Rabbi Lauren? Informing everyone that there are 8 genders in the Talmud.

Time for quetions. Manzella calls up the lady who kept talking about her missing boobs

(I deleted a few tweets cuz I was getting names wrong. Things happening too fast, watch the feed)

Fuller got asked if he knows what intersex is. He did not. Asked if he supports surgery for intersex kids. He couldn't answer. Asked why he hasn't brought a bill to keep cis kids from getting these surgeries and she was cut off.

Fucking senator is now equating his son wanting suicide with kids wanting to change their gender.

Why did no one call out this disgusting false equivalence?!

He asked if he should seek "suicide affirming care" for his son who wants to kill himself.

Fuller who doesn't even know what's in his bill is now closing on said bill.

Just equated protecting kids from transitioning with protecting kids from incest.

you can't make this shit up.

(Also that's not Fuller. I was typing too fast.)