(CNN) In a front line state in the growing US culture war over transgender rights, a son made a personal plea to his powerful father on behalf of the LGBTQ community.
David Gianforte, 32, who uses he and they pronouns and identifies as nonbinary, is the son of Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte.
The father and son sat down in the governor’s office on March 27, as reported by The Montana Free Press, for an in-person meeting that illuminated growing divisions across the country over transgender issues and legislation that aimed at preventing the transfer of health care and codifying the binary. definition of sex and gender.
David Gianforte told the nonprofit news organization that he requested the meeting with the governor “as your constituent and your son” via email.
The reason for the sit-in is to ask Greg Gianforte to veto legislation like the state senate bill that would ban medical and surgical gender reassignment for transgender minors, codify the binary definitions of sex and gender, and ban minors from attending adult-oriented movies in state-funded libraries or schools and adult-oriented performances in adult-oriented businesses, according to the Free Press.
At the meeting, the younger Gianforte read from a prepared statement, according to the Free Press: “Hey Dad. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, it means a lot to me.”
He added, “There are many important issues going through the legislature today. For my own sake I chose to focus first on transgender rights, because that directly affects the number of my friends… I want to make the argument that these laws are immoral, unjust, and frankly a violation of human rights.”
Currently, the bill banning gender-affirming health care for minors is the first to reach Gianforte’s desk, according to the Free Press. It awaits his signature or veto.
“I felt somewhat of an obligation to talk with him about it. Otherwise I would regret the missed opportunity,” said David Gianforte in an interview with the Free Press published last Wednesday.
The governor responded to his son’s request for a one-hour meeting after receiving the email, according to the Free Press.
“I want to better understand your thoughts and concerns. When can we get together to discuss them?” wrote the elder Gianforte. The governor closed the email with, “Love, Dad,” the Free Press reported.
David Gianforte told CNN that he “does not intend to give any more interviews at this time.”
The governor’s deputy communications director, Brooke Metrione, referred to CNN in a statement to the Free Press.
“The governor loves his family and values their thoughts, ideas, and views. Our office does not discuss private conversations between the governor and members of his family,” the statement said.
Montana House votes to ban transgender representative
The meeting between the governor and his son comes at a time when more than 400 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the US — more than double the number introduced in all last year, according to data from the American Civil Liberties Union as of April 3.
Specifically, the number of bills related to education and health care has reached unprecedented levels. In addition to the renewed push to ban access to gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, other bills focus heavily on regulating the curriculum in public schools — including the discussions about gender identity and sexuality.
On Wednesday, Montana’s Republican-controlled House voted to ban Rep. Zooey Zephyr, saying GOP lawmakers have “blood” on their hands for passing bills that restrict transgender rights. Zephyr rallied protesters Monday after Speaker Matt Regier blocked him from being recognized to speak from the House for the rest of this year’s legislative session.
Zephyr, a 34-year-old Democrat from Missoula, last year became the first transgender woman elected to the Montana legislature.
Under the disciplinary measure, Zephyr will be allowed to remain in his seat and vote remotely. But he could not participate in the debates.
“We’ve got a week and a half left in the session, and we’re going to be talking about important topics — housing bills, the state budget — and every bill that goes on for the rest of the session, there are 11,000 Montanans whose representatives are the missing, whose voices are not being heard on the bills,” Zephyr told CNN on Wednesday.
David Gianforte last week defended Zephyr on Twitter:
“I stand in support of @ZoAndBehold and the entire LGBTQ+ community in Montana, which includes myself and many of my friends. I am working to oppose bills in the current MT Legislative session.”
The elder Gianforte, who was sworn in as governor in 2021, has four children. David Gianforte said in an interview that he first told his parents he was gay in 2020.
The governor’s son told the Free Press that he didn’t expect his public statements or sit-ins at the State Capitol in Helena to stop controversial bills from becoming law.
“He’s worried about his career,” David Gianforte told the news organization. “He has particular issues that he’s focused on, like jobs and the economy. And he knows that staying in the governor’s position depends on him staying in favor with the Republican Party. And I think that affects his decisions. . on some of these bills.”
David Gianforte told the Free Press that he encouraged his father to treat Montana’s transgender community with empathy and compassion. Talking “about being kind to the kids, the youth of Montana, while simultaneously taking health care away from the youth,” David Gianforte said, “is basically a contradiction in my mind. .”
CNN’s Rebekah Riess, Joe Sutton, Eric Bradner, Raja Razek, Amanda Jackson, Devon Cole, Lucy Kafanov, and Annette Choi contributed to this report.
