A Utah school board member comes under fire for sharing a post on social media that falsely suggests a high school basketball player is transgender, leading to online threats against a 16-year-old girl. was caused.
Natalie Klein, a conservative member of the Utah State Board of Education, posted on Facebook on Tuesday a photo of Al and Rachel van der Beek’s daughter in her uniform with the caption “Girls Basketball.” KSL TV reported.
In a screenshot of a now-deleted Instagram ad for the game, she implied that the Salt Lake City girl was transgender and shouldn’t be allowed to play, the report said.
The girl, whose name has not been released, reportedly received a flurry of hateful comments and threats from social media users who saw the outspoken Republican’s post.
The Utah Office of Equality says the teen is not transgender. tThe Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Van der Beeks told KSL that school officials called her on Wednesday and informed her of Klein’s post and the hateful comments directed at her daughter, who was described as tomboyish. Ta.
“Someone posted something on Facebook and it started getting a lot of attention and a lot of people were commenting,” Al said. “Basically, your daughter is being criticized for being a kid playing girls’ basketball.”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to look at someone’s appearance and make assumptions about whether or not they’re playing in the right arena based on their appearance,” Rachel told the outlet.
The 15-member elected school board responded to the controversy Thursday.
“The Utah State Board of Education leadership condemns the actions of School Board Member Natalie Klein in a recent Facebook post directed at Utah’s female high school athletes.” it said in a statement.
“Board leadership is extremely concerned about this post and the harm it has caused Utah State students and families. We are deeply saddened by the events that occurred and, in accordance with the decision of the entire Board, We will take prompt action in this matter.”
But the board said it “does not have the power or authority to remove elected officials,” adding that “board bylaws provide for additional action if the full board determines that discipline is warranted.” “We will provide guidelines,” he added.
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deirdre Henderson also criticized Klein.
“We were appalled today to learn of the unconscionable conduct of Board Member Mr. Klein and others toward high school students. The last thing our children want is an elected official who is to harass others,” Cox and Henderson said. stated in a joint statement Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Trustee Klein has embarrassed the state of Utah and the State Board of Education,” the board said in a statement. There was a joint rebuke.
“We urge the State Board of Education to hold her accountable and commend the Granite School District for taking swift action to protect the safety and well-being of this student,” the leaders added. .
On Wednesday, the offending member apologized to the girl, calling her post “constitutionally protected speech.”
“I previously shared a public ad for a school basketball game that was sent to me by several concerned parents, and a firestorm centered around one of the players in the photo.” Klein wrote.
“Multiple commenters made derogatory comments about personal information and players. To protect the players, I removed the post. My post brought negative attention to an innocent student and his family. I am deeply sorry for what I have collected,” she wrote.
She claimed that she “never claimed that the student was a boy” and added, “For those who still claim that the student is a boy, I personally know this female student and I am Please know that several people I know and trust have reached out to me.” She is actually a biological girl, and she assured us that she has been a girl ever since she was born. ”
Klein also said the girl was “large in size, just like her parents.”
“We live in strange times, where the push to normalize transgenderism in society means it’s common for people to stop and consider whether they are who they say they are. ” she wrote.
“We all strive to protect women’s sports and their privacy spaces. In doing so, we definitely recognize that there is great diversity in women’s physical characteristics and of course , we embrace these differences and want all girls to feel welcome in school sports,” Klein continued.
“Unfortunately, our sincere efforts to embrace differences are sometimes taken advantage of to cause a loss of trust, leading to suspicions about some girls being more grounded than others. “This is a sad consequence of the transgender movement being forced upon us, and it puts us all in a difficult situation,” she added.
Democratic state lawmakers have called for Klein’s resignation and said they will work with her lawyers to begin impeachment proceedings against her.
Republican leaders have not said whether they support impeachment, but Senate President Stuart Adams said Thursday that they are “considering all options” to address Klain’s “reprehensible” conduct. .
The girl’s parents also called on Klein to resign.
“I think she should apologize publicly, not just on Facebook,” Al told KSL. “What if our daughter didn’t have such a strong character and had our support and community support to internalize that? In the worst case scenario, she could take her own life. There was also.”
with post wire
