“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. ”
Utah State Senator Mike Kennedy's Alpine city house was vandalized this week with red spray paint after sponsoring of SB16, a bill later signed into law that banned medical sex changes for minors, reports local news. The vandals spray painted the GOP state legislator's home with "these trannies bash back" and "fash."
On Friday, Kennedy posted images of the vandalism on Facebook and said, "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. 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."
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View on RumbleKennedy, who is a Doctor of Medicine (MD) continued, "We will not let fear and violence control our destiny. As Utahns, we will always 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."
CNN reports that police said, "The suspects appear to have targeted the Senator based on legislation that recently passed in the last legislative session."
Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed SB16 into law in January, and said in a statement, "Legislation that impacts our most vulnerable youth requires careful consideration and deliberation. While not a perfect bill, we are grateful for Sen. Kennedy’s more nuanced and thoughtful approach to this terribly divisive issue. More and more experts, states and countries around the world are pausing these permanent and life-altering treatments for new patients until more and better research can help determine the long-term consequences."
The bill was opposed by Equality Utah, an LGBTQ activist group, who addressed the vandalism and denied involvement.
On Facebook, Equality Utah wrote, "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."
"These heinous acts do not help LGBTQ Utahns. They do not advance a climate of equality," Equality Utah later added.
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