Dear Gov. Cox, I thought your heart was changed
by Nick Delgado
Governor Spencer J. Cox, do you not remember 10 years ago in 2016 when you spoke at a vigil I attended following the horrific massacre of 49 people at a gay club in Orlando, then you put your arm around me, hugged me, and we shared tears in that intimate, somber moment? Was that all fake, a publicity stunt and lies?
Let me remind you of your words summarized in this press piece…
“Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox spoke on Monday evening at a vigil in Salt Lake City to honor the people killed and wounded in the weekend shooting at an Orlando gay club. Cox, a Republican, struggled to keep his voice from breaking as he apologized for bullying gay people in the past.
“I grew up in a small town and went to a small rural high school,” he told the crowd. “There were some kids in my class that were different. Sometimes I wasn’t kind to them. I didn’t know it at the time, but I know now that they were gay. I will forever regret not treating them with the kindness, dignity, and respect — the love — that they deserved. For that, I sincerely and humbly apologize.”
Cox grew up in rural Sanpete, Utah, in the central part of the state, and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He became lieutenant governor in 2013 and is up for re-election this fall.
During his speech, Cox also delivered a message to those who might judge the people who were murdered.
“How did you feel when you heard that 49 people had been gunned down by a self-proclaimed terrorist?” he asked. “That’s the easy question. Here is the hard one: Did that feeling change when you found out the shooting was at a gay bar at 2 a.m. in the morning?”
“If that feeling changed, then we are doing something wrong,” he said.
You said in your speech, “My heart is changed!” Did you entirely ignore this when you went full MAGA for the sake of political expediency and your own ambitions? Is this what years of lusting for money and power while governor of Utah, cowering to special interests, wealthy conservative donors, and allies have reduced you to? A fraction of a man with a hollow heart?
How could you have the audacity to pander to the LGBTQIA+ community, professing a sincere apology and so-called “change of heart,” then completely flip for the sake of corrupt forces wielding money and power in our state and unfounded fear rooted in prejudice?!
Your own church leader has said… “Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles extended the invitation to “be at the forefront in terms of expressing love, compassion, and outreach. … Let’s not have families exclude or be disrespectful of those who choose a different lifestyle as a result of their feelings about their own gender.”
I thought in 2016 I had experienced that love, compassion, and outreach, but your recent actions have greatly harmed, disillusioned, and saddened me!
We will always have PRIDE! It welcomes and celebrates the diversity of all people in Utah, regardless of their gender identity, orientation (which is not just sexual; it is also spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and aesthetic, filling every dimension of our beautiful souls), and any other differences or uniquenesses we may have!
Not even the corruption of your heart for the sake of money, power, influence, greed, and your own ambitions can ever change that!
Power to ALL the People of Utah during this important PRIDE month, which celebrates ALL Utahns regardless of our diversity!
