Montana Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the first openly transgender woman elected to the state legislature, tied the knot with journalist and activist Erin Reed in a gorgeous ceremony in Missoula earlier this month.
Prominent figures in the LGBTQ community attended the celebration, including filmmaker Lilly Wachowski of The Matrix trilogy, NCAA champion swimmer Lia Thomas, and Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone. Sarah Kate Ellis, the CEO of GLAAD, officiated.
“What a perfect wedding, my love,” Zephyr wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the joyous event. “Every second of that day is etched into my heart forever. And every vow I made—from promising you a gentle love to promising to be a good mom to our son—will be at the center of all I do.”
“In many ways, our wedding day truly began two years earlier, on the White House lawn, as Sam Smith’s voice filled the air with Stay With Me,” Reed shared on her blog.
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She added: “It was the day the Respect for Marriage Act was signed. As we stood together, wrapped in the weight of that moment, Zooey leaned into my ear and whispered that she would marry me someday. Between then and now, there was so much more for us to experience, endure, and build together to arrive at this magical morning.”
Zephyr and Reed’s love story began in early 2022 during organizing calls with activists responding to Texas investigations into families of trans youth. Their shared advocacy work has since propelled them into the national spotlight. Zephyr gained global attention after being censured in the Montana Legislature, while Reed has built a following through her newsletter, Erin In the Morning, where she provides in-depth reporting on trans rights.
Zephyr was inspired to run for office after state legislators passed a bill banning trans women and girls from scholastic sports teams in 2021. “My womanhood, my transness, my bisexuality, the fact that I’m a renter, the fact I need access to health care to maintain my quality of life—all of these deeply inform the way in which I look at, debate, and ultimately vote on bills,” she told GO last year. “Each lens informs my actions. And the hope is that my lenses, in conjunction with my colleagues’ lenses, can help us see the full picture as we work to craft policy for the state of Montana.”
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