A Utah state Republican lawmaker’s home was allegedly vandalized after he introduced a bill aiming to ban transgender surgeries on minors.
The message to State Sen. Mike Kennedy written in red spray-paint on his door read, “Fash” (abbreviation for Fascist) and “These trannies bash back.” Kennedy announced the vandalism on Facebook.
“To those who seek to use violence, vandalism, and intimidation to deter me from standing up for what is right, let me be clear: you will not succeed,” he said in his post. “I will not be deterred by your cowardly actions. The recent vandalism to my family’s home was not just an attack on me, but on the very principles our state stands for. We will not let fear and violence control our destiny.”
Kennedy called on the citizens of Utah to “stand up and push back against radicals who seek to push their agenda in our state.”
“I am more determined than ever to work with the good people of Utah to make our state a better place for all, especially our children, and I won’t back down,” he concluded.
According to Fox News, Kennedy sponsored “SB16, legislation that bans transgender surgeries and puberty blockers for minors,” which was eventually signed into law by Gov. Spencer Cox in January.
“Legislation similar to Utah’s SB16 has been enacted in at least 11 states as part of a nationwide movement led by conservatives who say transgender medical treatments are unproven and potentially dangerous for children,” Fox News added.
The Utah LGBTQ activist group Equality Utah, which opposed SB16, denounced the vandalism to Kennedy’s home in a strong statement.
“We do not know who participated in this action, but we have been informed this may have been an act of retaliation for his sponsorship of SB 16. To the extent this, or any other act of violence or vandalism against our public officials, is related to LGBTQ advocacy, we want to make it clear that Equality Utah condemns these tactics in the absolute strongest terms,” the group said.
