The partner of Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D), Montana’s first and only openly transgender legislator, was nearly the victim of a “swatting” hoax at her Maryland home on Tuesday morning, both women said.
“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.
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.
“They spoke with Ms. Reed, and she stated that she was fine and that her ‘information got leaked,’” the spokesperson said. “She stated that she provided her information to the police department because she figured something like this might happen.”
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.”
Rep. Zephyr also referenced the incident in a tweet on Tuesday. “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.”
The 34-year-old Democrat remains barred from participating in proceedings in the Montana House chamber after an impassioned speech last month in which she warned House Republicans they would have “blood on [their] hands” if they passed a measure limiting trans minors’ access to gender-affirming care.
Over the two weeks that followed her remarks, Zephyr was repeatedly silenced on the House floor. Last Wednesday, the GOP-led chamber successfully voted to banish her altogether, relegating her to remote work.
Since then, Zephyr has worked from a bench directly outside the chamber, which allows her to speak to legislators as they pass by.
“I tell my Democratic colleagues: obviously I can’t speak on it because they’re not allowing me in the room but is there anything you need from me?” she told Time in a recent interview. “Is there anything I can help with?”
On Monday, the bench was occupied by a handful of women who identified themselves to the Daily Montanan as the “wives of legislators.” They denied they were making a political statement by sitting on the bench.
One of the women on the bench was identified by Reed as Republican House Speaker Matt Regier’s mother. The women were also joined by Darin Gaub, the director of the state’s so-called Freedom Caucus Network, which has repeatedly denounced and misgendered Zephyr over the last few weeks.
Later on Monday, Zephyr mounted a bid to return to the House by suing Republican leadership.
“I took this battle to court because my constituents deserve representation,” Zephyr, who represents more than 10,000 Montanans, explained to Time.
“When the speaker refused to recognize me, he took away not only my right as a legislator to partake in speech and debate on the floor, but also the voice of the people who elected me. And that is an attack on the very first principles of our country. That is an attack on democracy.”
Hours after Tuesday’s swatting attempt, a judge ruled that it was outside of his authority to authorize Zephyr’s return, writing that he could not “interfere with legislative authority” in that manner.
“It’s a really sad day for the country when the majority party can silence representation from the minority party whenever they take issue,” Zephyr told the Associated Press after the decision.
