They Tried to Overwhelm Us.
We Showed Up Stronger.

This session, lawmakers flooded the Capitol with an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ bills — hoping to exhaust us, silence us, and slip their agenda through while we were stretched too thin to fight back.

You rallied. You called. You testified. And together, we stopped some of the worst bills in their tracks.

Scroll down to see what we shut down, what we could not stop, and what still needs your voice.

WINS.

You showed up. You spoke out. And together, we brought the pressure. The result? A legislative graveyard for some of the worst anti-LGBTQ+ bills this session. These bills are done—for good. Here's what we’ve shut down so far:

SB 299 - John Fuller - Tabled in Committee!
This bill would have forced schools to out trans students without their consent, violating their privacy and putting them at risk—especially those in unsupportive homes. Though framed as protecting parental rights, it would have done real harm.

SB 164 -John Fuller - Failed on the Floor!
This bill would have criminalized gender-affirming care for youth under 16, making parents and providers felons. It would have worsened Montana’s healthcare provider shortage, driven up insurance costs, and risked tearing families apart.

HB 754 - Lukas Schubert - Failed on the Floor!
This bill would have barred courts from treating rejection of a trans child as abuse, while requiring the removal of children supported in their gender transition. It would have criminalized affirming care and forced the state to separate trans youth from supportive families.

HB 730 - Lukas Schubert - Tabled in Committee!
HB 730 would have equated parental support for a child's gender transition with abuse, risking custody loss for supportive parents while protecting those who oppose it. 

SJ 15 - Bob Phalen - Tabled in Committee!
SJ 15 would have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 2015 Obergefell decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Montana already legalized same-sex marriage in 2014, prior to the national ruling. This resolution was designed to be a harmful message intended to spread fear among married LGBTQ+ Montanans, but the amazing turn out helped make sure it didn’t make it to the Senate floor.

HB 675 Caleb Hinkle - Failed on the Floor!
HB 675 sought to ban drag performances and Pride parades under the guise of protecting public decency.

We fought hard—but we know they came in with a strategy: flood the session with anti-LGBTQ+ bills, hoping the sheer volume would wear us down. And while we pushed back with everything we had and secured real wins, some still made it through. These are the bills we couldn’t stop—this time.

HB 121 - Kerri Seekins-Crowe - Signed by the Governor, Blocked by the Courts
HB 121 requires public and certain private facilities to segregate restrooms and sleeping areas based on biological sex. It allows individuals to sue for non-compliance. A lawsuit from the ACLU has recently led to a temporary restraining order from a Missoula District Court judge, citing potential violations of Montana’s constitutional rights.

HB 300 - Signed by the Governor
HB 300 prohibits educational institutions from allowing trans girls to participate in female-designated athletic programs and requires separate restrooms, locker rooms, showers, and sleeping areas based on sex

HB 400, HB 471, HB 437, HB 655 - On the Governor’s Desk — Speak Up Now!
Call Governor Gianforte at (406) 444-3111 and tell him to veto these harmful bills.

HB 400 legalizes bullying by protecting students and teachers who misgender or deadname others intentionally from discipline. It introduces a private cause of action, allowing individuals to sue for damages, injunctive relief, and attorney fees, potentially leading to civil lawsuits against public schools or the state.

HB 471 seeks to silence discussions of LGBTQ+ identities in Montana schools by requiring parental consent for instruction on gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. It mandates five days' notice before such topics are discussed, restricts access to inclusive education. The bill allows parents to sue schools, using “parental rights” to censor queer education.

SB 437 defines "sex," "male," and "female" strictly as biological terms, excluding gender identity. It revises state laws to remove gender identity from legal consideration, potentially limiting the rights and protections of transgender and non-binary individuals. This narrow definition could undermine inclusivity in areas like employment and healthcare. A nearly identical bill was recently found unconstitutional by the Montana Supreme Court, let’s see how this one fares.

HB 655 allows faith-based agencies to refuse placements with LGBTQ+ parents and others who don’t align with their religious beliefs, without losing state funding. It also lets agencies prioritize placements with families of the same religion and sue the state if treated unfairly. This bill legalizes discrimination, making it harder for queer families to foster or adopt.

HB 690 protects parents and caregivers who deny gender-affirming care by explicitly stating that raising a child according to their "biological sex" can never be considered abuse, neglect, or harm—no matter the impact on the child’s well-being.

LOSSES.

Damage Control.

Some of the worst bills came in hot, aimed at doing maximum damage. But we didn’t back down. These are the bills we couldn’t kill—but we cut the teeth out of them with amendments.

SB 218 - John Fuller
Originally, SB 218 posed serious risks to gender-affirming care, including strict liability for providers and an overly long statute of limitations that would have limited care and driven doctors from the state. After amendments, the bill was softened: the strict liability provision was removed, and lawsuits can now only proceed if there’s a proven deviation from medical standards.

HB 446 - Jedediah Hinkle
This bill would have criminalized the mere presence of trans people in public spaces, including transportation hubs, restrooms, schools, parks, businesses, and shared areas in housing and hotels. This bill was amended to remove language targeting trans people and now aligns with Montana’s existing indecent exposure law.

There are still harmful bills moving — and your voice can help stop them before they reach the Governor’s desk. Head over to the “Bills on the Table” tab to check the status of the remaining bills and call your legislators. Encourage them to either stop these harmful pieces of legislation or, at the very least, preserve the amendments that make them less harmful.