This blog originally appeared at THEM.
The Utah Board of Education member shared a picture of a girls’ basketball team along with a caption that insinuated one of the players is transgender.
A high school basketball player in Utah has received official police protection following a state Board of Education member’s social media post where she shared the player’s picture and speculated about her being transgender.
In a recent Facebook post, Natalie Cline, a member of the Utah Board of Education (BoE), reshared a screenshot of an Instagram post from the Granite School District about a girls’ basketball game, focusing on a photo of one of the players. The caption, “Girls’ basketball…”, suggested that the player might be transgender and should not be on the team.
According to NBC affiliate KSL-TV, cyberbullies swiftly targeted the teenager and her family. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the student has been provided with police protection for her safety. Al van der Beek, the teenager’s father, clarified that his daughter identifies as a “tomboy,” not as transgender. He condemned the numerous hateful comments on Cline’s post as “disgusting.”
Van der Beek criticized Cline, stating, “Here’s a person that is supposed to be in a position of leadership that advocates for our children’s safety, well-being, their privacy, and she’s the one who has instigated this post that has led to all this hate.”
Cline has since deleted the Facebook post and issued a somewhat unusual semi-apology on Thursday in another post marked “[Constitutionally Protected Speech].” While apologizing “for the negative attention my post drew” to the student, Cline proceeded to extensively defend her actions, claiming she never “claimed the student was a boy.” She justified her suspicions regarding the teenager by referencing her “larger build, like her parents” and expressed frustration, stating it was “increasingly difficult to trust and to know how to protect children without hurting children,” attributing it all to “the push to normalize transgenderism.”
Governor Spencer Cox and Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson, both Republicans, released a joint statement on Tuesday, condemning Cline’s “unconscionable” post and asserting that she had “embarrassed the state of Utah.” They urged the Board of Education (BoE) to “hold her accountable.” On Thursday, BoE leadership issued a statement condemning Cline’s post, noting that while the body lacks the authority to expel members, they “will be taking prompt action” to address the situation.
While Cline has served on the BoE since 2020, this incident is not her first brush with controversy on social media. In 2021, despite her BoE biography highlighting her dedication to issues such as “religious freedom, pro-life legislation, and family-friendly education policy,” Cline shared a photo of an LGBTQ+ welcome sign at Layton High School Seminary, accompanied by the caption “Time to make some phone calls. The world is too much with us.” Following threatening posts towards the school from Cline’s followers and others on social media, including a former local city council candidate, BoE leadership sent Cline a letter of reprimand, as reported by Deseret at the time. Additionally, Cline has spread false information online about “critical race theory” and falsely accused Utah educators of “brainwashing” minors and schools of being “complicit in the grooming of children for sex trafficking,” actions that Utah BoE leadership also condemned.
Despite Governor Cox taking a firm rhetorical stance against Cline’s most recent post, his actual position on transgender rights remains unclear, and his administration’s track record regarding trans rights in Utah has been mixed at best. While Cox has previously vetoed anti-trans bills and signed a conversion therapy ban last year, he recently signed his party’s latest “bathroom bill” into law, imposing restrictions on where transgender individuals can use public facilities like bathrooms and changing rooms. This bill marked the first piece of anti-trans state legislation to be introduced, passed, and enacted this year.
fleeredstates.blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.