1. Montana’s House has passed an indecent exposure bill that applies only to trans people.
It sets out one standard for cis people that requires intent, and another for trans people that does not.
Trans Rep. Zephyr delivered scathing remarks.
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"The Crime Is Being Trans": Mo...
"The Crime Is Being Trans": Montana House Passes Indecent Exposure Bill Applying Only To Trans People
House Bill 446 in Montana establishes two indecent exposure laws: one for the general public that requires intent, and another for trans people that does not.
2. On Friday, the Montana House of Representatives passed an indecent exposure bill, HB446, that effectively creates two separate legal standards—one for transgender people and one for everyone else.
legiscan.com/MT/drafts/HB...Montana HB446 | 2025 | Regular...Montana HB446 | 2025 | Regular Session
Draft Listing (2025-03-01) Revise indecent exposure laws [(H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading]
3. Under current law, indecent exposure requires intent, such as deliberately streaking across a field or flashing bystanders. However, this bill removes the requirement of intent when applied to transgender individuals, making it possible to criminalize them for existing in certain public spaces.
4. The bill, introduced to target transgender people in locker rooms, bathrooms, and changing areas, creates a stark legal distinction. For most people, indecent exposure is defined as requiring intent to “abuse, humiliate, harass, violate the dignity of, or degrade another.”
5. However, in a separate section specifically addressing transgender individuals, those words are absent. Instead, indecent exposure is defined simply as “exposing intimate parts” to someone of the opposite sex assigned at birth.
Erin Reed
