MHRN condemns cancellation of trans history presentation

In the strongest terms possible, MHRN objects to the cancellation of Adria Jawort’s presentation on Indigenous transgender and Two Spirit people, which was scheduled for June 2nd at the Butte Public Library. Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive J.P Gallagher claimed the presentation would violate Montana’s recently instated drag ban, HB 359. We believe this decision is based on a misreading of the law.  

During the 2023 Montana Legislative Session, residents from across the state warned legislators that this bill could be used to censor any presentation or performance if a transgender person was featured, and children were in attendance. Bill sponsor Rep. Braxton Mitchell downplayed the consequences of his bill, denying that anything other than drag performances would be affected. Just as predicted, it only took a few weeks after Governor Gianforte signed HB 359 for a government entity to cancel an allowable presentation due to extreme caution or confusion.  
 

In the days since this event was canceled, Jawort and other researchers discovered that members of the neo-Nazi group, White Lives Matter, claimed credit for filing complaints with Gallagher and getting the event canceled. 

It is clear that HB 359 is functioning according to extremist’s plans. Jawort is a highly accomplished author, scholar, cultural expert, and public speaker who was scheduled to give a lecture on the history of Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ people. This presentation in no way fits the definition of a drag show, yet it was still mischaracterized and canceled by local officials after an anti-transgender operative made a complaint. It is clear that the sponsors of HB 359 planned on exploiting local officials’ fears and inability to interpret the law to keep transgender people out of public spaces.  
 
We call on Butte-Silver Bow officials to review their actions, the law, and especially their language when speaking about transgender people. This is an excellent opportunity to access resources and trainings on speaking respectfully with gender diverse people. We recommend our media guide for reporting on the LGBTQ+ community as a starting point, and we are happy to recommend other materials.