Montana trans lawmaker's partner targeted in 'swatting' plot: report
The partner of transgender Montana state lawmaker Zooey Zephyr was targeted in a "swatting" attack at her home in Maryland — and narrowly managed to avoid danger, reported The Daily Beast on Tuesday.
"'Somebody just attempted to SWAT me for my reporting on transgender legislation and events,' tweeted Erin Reed, a journalist and transgender rights activist. 'Thankfully, I’ve worked closely with the police in my community anticipating this, and the attempt failed. I will never stop advocating for my community and will never be silenced,' she added," reported A.J. McDougall.
"A spokesperson for the Montgomery County Police Department confirmed the incident took place to the Advocate, saying that 'an email' had summoned officers to Reed’s residence earlier that day," said the report. "Reed did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter from The Daily Beast. She told the Advocate that she approached the police several months ago after being made aware that her personal information had been circulating on right-wing websites and forums. She said the department contacted her ahead of the officers’ arrival at her home on Tuesday, saying they’d 'received information saying that I was being held hostage.'"
Responding to the incident on Twitter, Zephyr wrote, “Those who hate trans people are doing everything in their power to silence & harm us,” she said. “But we will not be deterred. We will stand in defiance of their cruelty and never stop working until trans people get to live our lives in peace.”
Zephyr has gained nationwide attention after speaking up against a gender-affirming care ban passed through the legislature in Montana, warning lawmakers they will have "blood on their hands" from the children who face abuse and self-harm due to the new law. Republican lawmakers retaliated by first banning her from speaking on the House floor, and then banning her from the House floor altogether and shutting down every committee she serves on, leaving her only capable of voting on bills remotely while sitting on a bench outside the chamber.
A judge this week declined to intervene against the legislature's ban of Zephyr, saying the court couldn't order the legislature to change its own rules.