Utah Governor Natalie Cline has been falsely accused of being transgender in a now-deleted Facebook post by Spencer Cox and other local leaders, and they are calling for her departure from the Utah State University board.
The girl’s family spoke out about the incident in an interview with Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX, and she quickly became the target of threats and intimidation online.
“They’re posting pictures of other people’s children online and then allowing people to bully a kid,” Al van der Beek, the girl’s parent, described it as “an adult bullying a child.” “There is really no justification that can rationalize posting another person’s child on social media and then allowing them to be attacked, so it doesn’t matter what their agenda is or what they thought they believed.”
The family is even urging Republican Cline to step down from her position.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox will speak at the Ellis Broadcast Center in Salt Lake City for the PBS Utah Governor’s Monthly News Conference on October 19, 2023.
Through AP, Pool, and FILE, Laura Seitz/The Deseret News
On Twitter, Cline apologized for the mistake, claiming that the girl’s larger physical build had led her to make assumptions about her gender. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Cline had posted a now-deleted photo of the high school basketball player with the caption “Girls’ basketball.”
“Because of the effort to reintegrate transsexuals into our society, we live in odd times when it is typical to wait and wonder if people are what they claim they are,” Cline said on Twitter.
“We must truly acknowledge that there is a wide range of physical characteristics among women, and of course, we are accepting of these differences and want all women to feel welcome in school sports,” she continued. “Unfortunately, our sincere attempts to be accepting of differences have occasionally been impaired by a loss of trust, which breeds suspicion about girls who are more masculine than most.”
Transphobia and the policing of gender identity, according to LGBTQ activists, will have an impact on individuals of all gender identities, including cisgender men and women.
Leroy B. Thomas, the communications director at the National Center for Transgender Equality, stated in an earlier interview with ABC News that “both transgender and cisgender people have been facing scorn, rejection, assault, and even being killed for not meeting this made-up ideal” of what defines a person.
Utah’s Lieutenant Governor Cline’s post was deemed “inexcusable” by Deidre Henderson.
In separate statements, Cox and Henderson both urged the Utah State Board of Education to “hold” Cline accountable, citing her previous controversial remarks.
Natalie Cline, a member of the Utah State School Board
Utah State Board of Education
Additionally, Cline’s actions were condemned in a statement from the state board of education.
“Board Leadership is deeply concerned about this situation and the harm it has caused Utah students and families,” the statement read. “We are deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded, and we will be acting swiftly in accordance with the full Board’s decision.”
The board, however, asserted that while it lacks the authority or power to remove an elected official, it may consider disciplinary action.
Gay organizations have demanded Cline’s resignation.
“No child, whether straight, gay, or transgender, should be ridiculed and shamed by elected officials,” according to the advocacy group Equality Utah. “America has a tragic history of moral panics that resulted in the exclusion and disgrace of minorities from public life.” Panic often leads to violence.
Cline and the girl’s family have been contacted by ABC News for comment.
