Salt Lake City: Utah’s Republican governor and lieutenant governor are urging the State Board of Education to take action against a conservative board member whose social media post questioning the identity of a high school basketball player sparked an outburst of threats against the woman.
In a since-deleted Facebook article that falsely implied the girl was trans, Natalie Cline, who has recently come under investigation for inflammatory remarks about LGBTQ+ individuals, singled out the Salt Lake City swimmer. After learning that the child was not in fact transgender, Cline later apologized for igniting a flurry of vulgar remarks.
The school board member, however, refuted her initial concerns, arguing that it is “normal to wait and wonder if people are what they say they are” as a result of the country’s efforts to recognize transgender identities.
To win support for sports bans and bath restrictions that threaten to drive trans people out of societal spaces, many Republican politicians have been successful in spreading worry about transgender people. According to the donors, protecting women and girls requires such plans. False accusations like this have jeopardized the safety of both trans and non-trans youths as laws prohibiting trans girls from participating in girls’ sports have spread throughout Republican-led states.
In a shared censure with Republican Governor Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson, according to Spencer Cox, Cline “embarrassed the position” by dogpiling on a child she believed to be transgender. A few weeks after Cox signed policy making Utah the most recent state to restrict access to restrooms for transgender people, the state’s executive rulers issued a public rebuke.
In their joint declaration from late Wednesday, Cox and Henderson stated that they were “stunned to learn of the despicable behavior of committee member Cline and others toward a high school student today.” The last thing our kids need is a social media harasser from an elected official.
During his three years as governor, Cox has vetoed a ban on transgender athletes while approving regulations like the new toilet laws, which critics claim has given people like Cline the right to examine others in public and hurl insults at anyone whose gender expression makes them uncomfortable.
A judge has temporarily halted a 2022 state law that forbids trans women from competing on female sports teams, which was passed in response to Cox’s opposition, while the legal challenge is being heard in court.
According to Troy Williams, executive director of the LGBTQ+ lobbying group Equality Utah, Cline’s position was replaced by a contemporary witch hunt in which people policed children to see if they were sufficiently female.
“We are extremely worried that these sex witch hunts will intensify and harm not just transgender Utahns but also any Utah resident who does not fit Natalie Cline’s limited definition of gender now that fresh bathroom legislation has been approved by the Utah Legislature and signed by Governor Cox.”
Cox has occasionally been at odds with the regional group as it has shifted further to the right and focused on transgender people as a result of his brand of socially conscious conservatism, which has resulted in past sparring matches with Democratic congressional leaders. This time, he will face some well-known Republican challengers when running for reelection.
Democratic state legislators have demanded Cline’s departure and claim they are collaborating with lawyers to file an impeachment complaint against her. Senate President Stuart Adams said on Thursday that he was “looking at all options” to tackle Cline’s “reprehensible” actions. Republican legislative leaders have not indicated whether they would support impeachment. However, the governor and lieutenant governor have requested that the school board “hold her accountable.”
In a statement released on Thursday, the State Board of Education denounced Cline’s deeds but asserted that it has no right or authority to remove her from office. The 15 elected members are debating whether administrative action is necessary.
The board stated that “Board Leadership is extremely concerned about this situation and the damage it has done to Utah students and families.” “We will be acting quickly because we are profoundly saddened by the events that have occurred.”
Cline has not made any indication that she intends to step down. She has submitted a bid to run for reelection after her term ends in November. Lt. Governor Henderson urged her social media followers to support Amanda Bollinger, the Jordan School District executive, who is Cline’s Democratic opponent, by donating this week to her campaign.
A decision denouncing Cline for attacking one of its students will be discussed at a special meeting of the Granite School Board on Friday.
