Mon. September 13, 2021
The Utah State Board of Education is investigating one of its own members after she criticized the display of an LGBTQ rainbow Pride flag at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) school. A city council candidate's equally anti-LGBTQ response forces him out of his race.
Natalie Cline, an avowed conservative, shared a photo of the Pride flag displayed with a sign saying, "If you are LGBTQIA+ Welcome to the seminary!"
Cline captioned the photo, "Time to make some phone calls."
Equality Utah responded.
"She has been leading a one-woman cursade against our community ever since she was elected to the Utah State Board of Education," the advocacy group explained. "Her dangerous rhetoric continues to incite hysteria and moral panic among Utah parents."
The Board issued its own response.
"We are reviewing this post for potential Board Bylaw violations," they explained.
A candidate for North Ogden, Ut. was forced out of the race for his response to Cline's social media post.
Gregory Smith commented of the LGBTQ students, "Time to get out our muskets."
Equality Utah responded to him, "Reckless rhetoric often precedes acts of violence."
Since then, Smith has apologized and said that he was misunderstood. He claims that he was borrowing a phrase from a highly publicized speech by LDS Apostle Jeffrey Holland.
Holland had argued that Brigham Young University needs to uphold Mormon teachings against LGBTQ rights like same-sex marriage.
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