BILLINGS — The Billings Police Department is investigating a recent incident where flyers were posted about transgender resident Adria Jawort.
The flyers, which included pictures of Jawort and harmful claims about her grooming children, were posted all over street signs near Lewis and Clark Middle School.
Jawort lives in a neighborhood near the school.
The incident happened a few days before Thanksgiving, and Jawort spent hours removing flyers from street poles in the snow.
Jawort is well known statewide for her advocacy and writing in support of transgender rights and equality.
"I was annoyed about it," Jawort said. "I was just thinking, why am I doing this? Why do I have to do this? Why do people think this is okay?"
Jawort said she believes she removed more than 40 flyers, all of which misgendered her while making claims about her personal life and sexuality.
“The thing that the flyer said, calling me a groomer and stuff, and basically I'm a danger to the community,” Jawort said. "It's like one of the most awful things you can say. How does that become normalized?"
Billings police weren't available for an interview on Monday, but they did confirm the fact that they were investigating.
Lt. Matthew Lennick also shared in a statement what can be defined as hate speech.
"Once someone transitions from making a general statement about their beliefs or another group to a targeted attack on an individual, things could change," Lennick wrote. "A victim could take civil action against someone attempting to defame them."
Lennick also said that there are a lot of factors when investigating an incident like this, and that potential criminal charges include disorderly conduct, stalking, intimidation or harassment, among others.
He added that in most of these cases, it's extremely difficult to find a suspect.
Jawort believes she knows the group responsible, but she admitted that she's more frustrated with the Legislature at the state Capitol Building in Helena.
She said the issues begin there, pointing to the treatment of Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender woman serving for Missoula, who was banned from the House floor during the last legislative session, and just last week was clearly targeted in a proposed but unsuccessful rule change to bathroom procedures at the Capitol.
“I knew is this kind of thing was it was going to get worse," Jawort said. "Especially with the legislative session coming up, and with me having a target on my back and plenty others. There's not that many trans people in Montana but it's like went way beyond me."
Jawort said it's a frustrating situation — knowing she's not alone.
“It wasn't just like an attack on me, although I was like under their particular radar," Jawort said. "It's like an attack on a lot of — a lot of Montanans."
