Utah Gov. Cox issues Pride Month proclamation, omits ‘LGBTQ+’

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For each of his three years as governor of Utah, Spencer Cox has issued a declaration of “LGBTQ+ Pride Month.” This year’s declaration, however, omits the “LGBTQ+” and other boilerplate items. His declaration this year reads:

Whereas, the month of June is commonly celebrated and recognized as Pride Month; Whereas, the state of Utah values the uniqueness of all individuals within our communities and recognizes that everyone has a place in our state;

Whereas, we understand the shared human need for inclusion, belonging and kindness;

Whereas, we acknowledge the numerous organizations in the state of Utah that actively promote greater understanding and cooperation among residents by cultivating love for all; and,

Whereas, it is our aspiration in the state of Utah to foster a culture of hope, understanding, love, dignity and respect;

Now, therefore, I, Spencer J. Cox, governor of the state of Utah, do hereby declare June 2023 as Pride Month in Utah.

Gone are the six mentions of LGBTQ+ in the previous identical declarations from 2021 and 2022. Also gone is a call for “relevant and vital conversations about what it means to love each other, understand our differences, and support our LGBTQ+ friends and family members,” and the recognition that “members of the LGBTQ+ community who do not feel loved and accepted experience higher rates of mental health challenges.”

The declarations of 2021 and 2022 read:

Whereas, the month of June is commonly celebrated and recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month;

Whereas, we must encourage relevant and vital conversations about what it means to love each other, understand our differences, and support our LGBTQ+ friends and family members;

Whereas, we recognize that members of the LGBTQ+ community who do not feel loved and accepted experience higher rates of mental health challenges;

Whereas, we can strengthen resilience in the LGBTQ+ community through family and community inclusion and by providing access to help, and giving them our support, respect, understanding, and friendship; Whereas, we must cultivate a climate of inclusion and unconditional love for all; Whereas, in the state of Utah we strive to sustain a culture of hope, love, understanding, and respect by celebrating our common humanity; Whereas, we should all strive to be more inclusive and accepting oftbe LGBTQ+ members of our community; Now, therefore, I, Spencer J. Cox, governor of the great state of Utah, do hereby declare June 2022, as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Utah. A statement from Equality Utah’s executive director, Troy Williams, states that the organization agrees with the tone of Cox’s declaration.

“As we kick off Pride month in Utah, Equality Utah acknowledges and agrees with the sentiments expressed in Spencer Cox’s PRIDE declaration, that we should all strive to love, respect, and treat one another with kindness and dignity, regardless of any labels we each may wear,” Williams wrote. “This is the true meaning and purpose behind the celebrations this weekend and throughout June.”

The Utah Pride Center statement wasn’t so conciliatory.

“Not including the letters and words that identify the Pride Community — LGBTQIA+ — is an irresponsible coward act of erasure. We believe Gov. Cox can do better,” the group tweeted.

Reaction on Twitter is scattered among praise for the message, LGBTQ people complaining of the “letters” not being included, and out-of-state conservatives saying the governor is “supporting sin.”

Utah white supremacist arrested last year for disrupting Idaho Pride event now arrested for child abuse images

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Jared Michael Boyce, a member of the white supremacist group Patriot Front, faces the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of possessing child sexual abuse images. Boyce, who was previously arrested for conspiring to disrupt an LGBTQ+ Pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, entered guilty pleas in April for nine felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one misdemeanor count of dealing in harmful material to a minor.

Boyce is facing up to 30 years in prison.

Boyce was among 31 members of the Patriot Front arrested last year on suspicion of conspiring to riot at an LGBTQ+ Pride event in Idaho. Their arrests came after a tipster reported observing a group of individuals resembling “a little army” loading a U-Haul truck in a Coeur d’Alene hotel parking lot.

Boyce told his mother he showed up in Idaho because Patriot Front believed those involved were “grooming kids.”

During the investigation following the arrests, law enforcement officials seized Boyce’s phone. Upon examination, they discovered 22 images depicting child sexual abuse. Court documents indicated that some of the images involved children ranging from toddlers to prepubescent ages engaging in sexual acts, while others depicted minors exposing their genitals. During a police interview, Boyce confessed to possessing and accessing the illicit images. He also admitted to engaging in sexually-themed conversations about children in an online chatroom, as well as sending images of child sexual abuse and a sexually explicit photo of his genitals to a 16-year-old girl.

In June of last year, Boyce’s mother, Karen Amsden, told The Daily Beast that she gave her son an ultimatum, asking him to choose between Patriot Front and their family. Boyce affirmed his commitment to the group, resulting in his expulsion from their household.

In addition to the child abuse image charges, Boyce still faces a misdemeanor count of criminal conspiracy to riot related to the Idaho Pride event.

The Anti-Defamation League describes Patriot Front as a white supremacist group in the United States that justifies its ideology of hate and intolerance under the guise of preserving the cultural and ethnic origins of its members’ European ancestors. According to the ADL, Patriot Front has been responsible for distributing the majority of white supremacist propaganda in the US since 2019. The group’s founder, Thomas Rousseau, was also arrested in connection with the Idaho incident.

Patriot Front has been actively involved in leading anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-drag campaigns across the country. In March, they joined other far-right and neo-Nazi groups to disrupt a drag queen story event in an Ohio park. Footage from the incident captured masked individuals waving swastika flags, performing Nazi salutes, and chanting “sieg heil” and “heil Hitler.” Q