SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — While speaking at George Washington University about how Americans can “disagree better,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described gender-affirming care for transgender youth as “genital mutilation surgeries.”
The comment happened during a discussion Wednesday at the Washington D.C. university. Part of the hour-long talk centered on legislation that Cox signed last year that banned gender-affirming care for Utah minors.
In explaining his “Disagree Better” approach, the Republican governor noted that he held discussions with transgender people at the governor’s mansion before the passage of the law, which led to unique changes to the Utah bill that weren’t in similar bans in nearly two dozen other states. One of these was allowing trans youth already undergoing hormone therapy to continue such treatment.
However, a student challenged the point of such discussions at the governor’s mansion when the lack of gender-affirming care could lead to a trans child taking their life.
“Do you think the parents of that kid would care if you have a conversation about the legislation at the governor’s mansion before you passed it?” the student asked.
Cox took issue with the question, saying that no child in Utah has died over not getting gender-affirming care. He then said the student’s question assumed that Utah lawmakers don’t care about transgender youth and want them to die.
“I reject that whole cloth, I care deeply about these kids,” the governor said. “I love these kids, I want these kids to thrive, I want these kids to be successful, and I think there’s a better way to do that than having genital mutilation surgeries before they are 18 and old enough to have a rational decision.”
The governor defended his signing of the ban, saying that there are “very real reasons to be concerned about what’s happening with our young people” and “the explosion” in American youth seeking such care.
ABC4 reached out to Cox’s office seeking comment and received the following statement:
“Gov. Cox misunderstood a question and was not happy with his answer. After the public exchange, the governor invited the student backstage and respectfully listened, and they discussed their differences for about 10 minutes. Both left the conversation with a better understanding of the other’s perspective.”
– Spokesperson for the Governor’s Office
Equality Utah, a local LGBTQ civil rights organization, also released a statement saying Cox’s language usage was “factually inaccurate” and “inflammatory.”
“In order to disagree better, it’s important that the language our leaders use be factual and not inflammatory,” the statement read. “In his recent comments, Governor Cox missed the mark on both counts. They were hurtful to the transgender community.”
The statement continued to say the organization intended to hold Cox “true to his Disagree Better initiative” but did not want to “blast or shun him.” They encouraged him to have a deeper dialogue with the local LGBTQ community in order to “successfully navigate this polarized era.”
A statement provided by Equality Utah to ABC4.According to the World Health Organization, genital mutilation is a term used to describe non-medical procedures often performed on girls in Africa and the Middle East that are a violation of human rights and have “no health benefits.”
As for gender-affirming care, the WHO describes it as a combination of treatments, such as hormone therapy and surgery, that is designed to “support and affirm an individual’s gender identity.”
The governor’s use of the term “genital mutilation” echoes the words of other Republican governors in the debate over transgender health care for children, such as Florida’s Ron DeSantis.
Earlier this year, while hearing a challenge to Florida’s transgender health care ban, a judge said that DeSantis spread false information regarding doctors mutilating children’s genitals, even though there’s never been a single documented case, the Associated Press reports.
Cox, who is up for re-election this year, has made his Disagree Better initiative a key part of his public persona. While serving as chair of the National Governors Association, he’s called on Americans to disagree in a way that finds solutions to complicated problems instead of “endlessly bickering.”
The governor often highlights when Utah takes a unique “third-way” approach, such as in the gender-affirming care ban and the anti-DEI bill he signed into law last month.
In a recent 5,000-word blog post, the governor praised the DEI bill for not just stripping funding from DEI programs, as other states have done. Instead, he highlighted that the legislation turns these programs into Student Success Centers, open to all students regardless of their identity.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the suicide prevention hotline at 988. National Alliance on Mental Illness Utah: namiut.org
