“These kids ... they’re just trying to stay alive,” Utah governor says
SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday he would not sign the current version of the bill making its way through the Utah Legislature to ban transgender girls from participating in girls sports.
“I”m not in a place yet where I’m comfortable with the bill as it stands right now,” Cox told reporters during his monthly news conference with PBS Utah Thursday morning. “Those discussions are ongoing. We still have a lot of work to do.”
Cox then paused and teared up.
“These kids are ... they’re just trying to stay alive,” Cox said. “There’s a reason none of them are playing sports ... I just think there’s a better way. And I hope that there will be enough grace in our state to find a better solution.”
NEW: I press him for a yes or no on whether he'd sign @KeraBirk's bill
— Katie McKellar (@KatieMcKellar1) February 18, 2021
"I"m not in a place yet where I'm comfortable with the bill as it stands right now," @GovCox says. "Those discussions are ongoing. We still have a lot of work to do." #utpol #utleg
Cox called the transgender youth sports legislation “one of the most complicated and difficult bills” facing lawmakers in the 2021 session, and said “people on both sides of the issue are actually right.”
“There’s a lot of passion, a lot of fiery rhetoric, a lot of name calling on both sides of the issue,” the governor said, adding “there are biological advantages with your birth gender. Those are biological facts, and nobody disputes that at all. It is also a fact that women’s sports has had a disadvantage for many, many years. We’ve gotten better but we still have a ways to go.”
Cox’s comments come the day after the House voted to approve Rep. Kera Birkeland’s bill following heated debate. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
HB302 is adamantly opposed by groups including Equality Utah and Democrats, who argue it’s “needlessly (targeting) youth who are already marginalized and vulnerable to mental anguish and suicide.”
Cox’s comments mean if HB302 has a chance of becoming Utah law, it needs changes.
Cox’s remarks came in response to multiple questions covering a broad range of topics during his monthly news conference, from COVID-19 vaccination updates to other bills working their way through the Utah Legislature.
This story will be updated.
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