Montana House Democrats elected State Representative SJ Howell of Missoula as their minority leader on Wednesday, making Howell the first transgender or nonbinary party leader in any U.S. state legislature.

Howell, who was elected to the House in 2022 as Montana's first nonbinary legislator, previously worked as a lobbyist and activist focused on women's and LGBTQ issues. Democrats also chose State Representative Zooey Zephyr of Missoula, the state's first openly transgender lawmaker elected in 2022, as one of three minority whips.

Zephyr posted on social media that the group has an "incredible leadership team" ready to work for Montana. The selections came as House Republicans chose Katie Zolnikov of Billings as speaker, Mike Vinton of Billings as speaker pro tem, and Tom Millett of Marion as majority leader.

Republicans hold a strong majority in the Montana Legislature and control all six statewide offices. Howell and Zephyr gained notice during the 2023 session when Zephyr was barred from the House floor after refusing to apologize for remarks directed at colleagues supporting restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors.

The Democratic choices highlight the party's emphasis on identity-based representation even in a deeply conservative state where the minority party holds limited influence.