Utah official censured for falsely suggesting teenage girl is transgender
Natalie Cline, a member of the Utah State Board of Education, faced widespread condemnation after questioning the gender of a student athlete on social media.
Utah’s Board of Education voted to censure one of its members and called for her resignation on Wednesday after she appeared to falsely suggest a teenage girl was transgender on social media.
Natalie Cline, the censured board member, posted a flyer for a Salt Lake City high school basketball team on Facebook last week, suggestively writing: “Girls’ basketball...” Although the post was later deleted — and it was revealed that the girl is not trans — Cline received a chorus of criticism from Utahns across the state last week, including from Gov. Spencer Cox.
Utah Board of Education member Natalie Cline questioned the gender identity of a teenage athlete.Utah State Board of EducationIn addition to being censured, Cline will be stripped of her committee assignments, prohibited from attending the board’s advisory committee meetings and forbidden from placing items on the board’s agenda, the board said.
“The Board would like to extend its deepest apologies to those harmed by this conduct, in particular the student who was targeted because of Member Cline’s post,” the board said in a statement on Wednesday. “No individual, especially a child, should be subject to such comments and judgement.”
The board added, “We hope that the actions taken today can provide support for the student and the family.”
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