Madden Part of Montana History as Page During Zephyr Banishment

"I think he is a little jealous he missed all the action," WHS junior Cecelia Madden said with a laugh, speaking on her classmate Isaac Skogen, who served as a page at the Capital the week before her. "He got to see the leadup to it all, but I was there. I mean, the first day there was a riot!"

Madden was front and center on April 26 when it was decided that Democratic Representative Zooey Zephyr violated rules of decorum amid speaking out against a series of anti-trans bills being debated during the legislative session.

While this wasn't the very first time a lawmaker has been expelled from the state's chamber floor - that honor goes to Basin resident Martin Buckley in 1897 - the stakes seemed a bit higher, as this was the first removal of a transgender lawmaker.

"Decorum is a huge thing at the Capitol," Madden said, adding that she believes Zephyr was handled fairly. She also noted that Zephyr reached out to the pages during the situation to make sure everyone was alright.

"There really was no protocol for this, they'd never had to clear out the gallery and S.W.A.T. was there and it was insane. This hadn't happened like this before."

Madden, who applied to page because she thought it would be fun, has a newfound interest in politics and government.

"I don't like that they argue for 30 minutes over one word in a bill, but the rest of it was very interesting and exciting," Madden said, wondering if you can become a professional page as a career.