Opinion by: Representative Kerri Seekins-Crowe, House District 39
Women can do anything. They deserve respect. They earn admiration. But more than that, they expect that government will hear them… will listen to them… and will protect them in the spaces where they are most vulnerable. That’s why I am introducing legislation, HB 121, so that in Montana, women and children are guaranteed a safe space when they enter a restroom, changing room, overnight sleeping quarters at public facilities, women’s shelters, and correctional institutions. That means that the government cannot force biological women and girls to unwillingly share their private space with biological men. Here in Montana, the Legislature has attempted to make this crystal clear in previous sessions. Yet an activist Supreme Court continues to thwart the will of the people at every turn. So here we are again, trying to pass a law to protect something very basic: the safety and dignity of Montana women.
As the Obama and Biden Administrations tried to rewrite the definition of women to further a harmful political agenda, it’s more important than ever that Montanans take a stand for women’s privacy and safety so that we can push back on federal overreach that tells women their dignity comes last in their most vulnerable spaces. Fortunately in Montana, we know what – and who – women are. Montana is the state that first sent a woman to represent us in Washington, D.C. before women could even vote. We know women who run ranches, fight wildfires, care for the sick, and, yes, drive diesel trucks. We know women who do tough things, with nothing being more challenging than rearing children and raising a family. But we also know that over half of incarcerated women are survivors of sexual assault or abuse and often women seeking shelter are survivors of domestic violence. These women deserve to know that no matter the situation they have value and dignity.
My bill will reinforce the basic reality that men and women are biologically different. These are common sense, simple realities, established by science and they should be uncontroversial. I will keep fighting to ensure Montana represents American values. It’s time to return to common sense and ensure lasting protections for generations to come.
Representative Kerri Seekins-Crowe
