Son asked Montana governor to veto anti-trans bill. It didn’t work.

Few expected a lobbying effort from the Montana governor’s son.

Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) had heard from other queer activists for weeks as the state legislature advanced anti-transgender bills. But his son caught the attention of queer and trans people across the state and country for trying to persuade his father not to sign the bills.

“I feel like I have a voice and I can be heard,” David Gianforte, 32, who came out publicly as nonbinary this week and uses he and they pronouns, told the Montana Free Press. “And I feel, not only in communicating with my father, that’s not necessarily the main point, but also just showing support for the transgender community in Montana – I think that could be meaningful, especially at this time.”

The news of David Gianforte’s efforts came Wednesday, the same day Montana Republicans voted to ban state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D) from speaking on the House floor. Montana’s first openly transgender lawmaker had said proponents of the legislation had “blood on your hands.” Republicans said she violated decorum.

Despite his son’s attempts, the Montana governor signed a bill Friday restricting gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths, joining 14 states that have passed similar laws since January. But members of the LGBTQ community in Montana told the Washington Post they were still “stunned” by the “bravery” of David Gianforte.

“I think their actions resonate with other queer and trans Montanans, many of whom know how difficult it is to come out to their parents and to gain their understanding and love,” said Keegan Medrano, policy director for American Civil Liberties Union of Montana.

David Gianforte, who declined to be interviewed for this article, initially reached out to the governor over email to plan a meeting, according to the Montana Free Press. The governor’s son felt it was important to use their access to their father’s office to highlight transgender issues. The governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment Friday afternoon.

“Our office will not discuss private conversations between the governor and members of his family,” press secretary Brooke Stroyke told the Montana Free Press .

In all, eight bills this legislative session were aimed at the transgender community, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, including bills barring drag shows on public property or in places with minors present. The bill the governor signed Friday, Senate Bill 99, bans several kinds of gender-affirming care for children and prohibits the state’s Medicaid program from paying for any surgical procedures or medication needed for the regimen.

Senate Bill 99 was the original subject of the protest on April 18 from Zephyr. Even with its passing, members of the LGTBQ community in Montana remained determined to make their voices heard.

Paul Kim helped organize a march in Zephyr’s district on Friday with the advocacy group Queer Joy Missoula. He said they hoped to send a message of positivity after a “terrible legislative session for queer and trans people in this state” and found David Gianforte courageous.

“When someone like David, the governor’s own son, takes a stand, it emboldens all of us to recognize our place here,” Kim said. “The fact that he chose this moment after quietly lobbying his father, it sent a shock wave across the state. The eyes of the country are on Montana, on us. A lot of people I’ve spoken to felt a rush of solidarity.”

Others in Montana said David Gianforte’s efforts were the latest high in a roller-coaster week that saw seven activists arrested while protesting in the Montana legislature. David Gianforte’s decision to come out publicly while lobbying their father showed some how serious the situation was, activists said.

William Schenk, a 27-year-old development associate at ACLU of Montana, was one of the people arrested Monday.

“Clearly, we’ve gotten to an inflection point,” Schenk said. “It’s telling that they felt like they had an obligation to at least speak to their father about what’s going. It signals that this is life and death and serious, and people need to pay attention.”

David Gianforte tried to impress upon his father that the bills considered by the legislature “are immoral, unjust, and frankly a violation of human rights,” according to the Montana Free Press. The bills would directly affect some friends, the son added.

The governor, the outlet reported, said he’d “like to better understand your thoughts and concerns.”

Friday’s signing of the bill limiting gender-affirming medical care for transgender children dashed the few hopes that David Gianforte would stop the legislation.

In a letter proposing amendments to the bill this month, the governor wrote that the legislation “protects Montana children from permanent, life-altering medical procedures until they are adults, mature enough to make such serious decisions.”

The law is set to take effect Oct. 1. The national ACLU, its Montana chapter and Lambda Legal plan to challenge it in court.

“I think our governor is beholden to the supermajority,” said Andy Nelson, executive director of the Western Montana LGBTQ+ Community Center. “I want to be optimistic. Unfortunately, I don’t see [the governor changing his mind]. But I do think this will change the course of Gov. Gianforte’s views moving forward. It may not be overnight. It may not be immediately. But I think it will make a dramatic change over time.”