CAT’S IN THE CRADLE

Montana Guv’s Nonbinary Kid Lobbies Him to Reject Anti-Trans Bills

David Gianforte, who identifies as nonbinary, said they initially reached out to their father about the legislation over email.

One of the Republican governor of Montana’s children met him in his office last month with a prepared statement about several bills widely expected to harm transgender Montanans and the state’s LGBTQ+ community. David Gianforte, 32, who uses he/they pronouns, disclosed their gender identity for the first time in an interview this week with the Montana Free Press. They said they read the statement aloud to Gov. Greg Gianforte. “Hey Dad. Thanks for setting aside time to meet with me, it means a lot to me,” David said. “There are a lot of important issues passing through the legislature right now. For my own sake I’ve chosen to focus primarily on transgender rights, as that would significantly directly affect a number of my friends … I would like to make the argument that these bills are immoral, unjust, and frankly a violation of human rights.” David said they initially reached out to their father about the matter over email, and that the governor had responded that he wanted to get a better understanding of David’s thoughts and concerns, signing off, “Love, Dad.” It is not yet clear what impact David’s lobbying may have had on the governor, who is expected to sign the bills in question as they come to his desk.