Governor Spencer Cox visited Park City High School on Wednesday where he heard about some of the issues area youth are most concerned with, from the rising cost of living in the Park City area to censoring books in school libraries, and he advocated for balance amid the ongoing “culture war” in America.
Halfway through his first term, the Republican fielded questions from five students who were selected to represent various school groups, including special education, student council, student government, student-athletes and Latino students. They addressed topics such as inflation and Utah’s competitive winter sports legacy, but some of the high schoolers also probed Cox on state policies they said targeted LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities, and promoted abstinence-based sex education.
Three of those students – Chloe Taurel, Jackalyn Vazquez and Zach Minter – were among many high schoolers wearing rainbow armbands to signify their solidarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community after Cox in January signed Senate Bill 16, which prevents minors from receiving gender-affirming care such as hormone therapy. Several students in the audience raised flags representing the LGBTQ+ community while the governor spoke. One individual also held a sign citing statistics about suicidal ideation among transgender youth and how gender-affirming treatment can make a positive impact on their mental health.
Taurel asked Cox specifically about S.B. 16, and what he did to consider the perspectives of transgender youth in the state before signing the bill into law. She highlighted the importance of incorporating and elevating the voices of young people in politics even before they can vote.
As members of the audience cheered, the governor, who gave a speech before the student question-and-answer session which emphasized the importance of having open-minded conversations with people who have differing opinions, praised the senior for her respectful question.
Cox said he hosted a meeting between conservative state leaders and trans youth as well as advocates from Equality Utah for a conversation about their experiences and gender-affirming health care before the bill was passed. The discussion led to changes within the legislation, such as not immediately ordering doctors to stop prescribing transgender youth their medication, which stopped the law from becoming a complete ban, according to the governor.
Instead, it’s a near-complete ban. Cox characterized the law as a “pause” until more research can be conducted on the long-term effects of gender-affirming care such as surgery, hormone therapy and more, which he said is unlike other states.
While the rainbow-clad students in the audience didn’t appear convinced, Cox welcomed their thoughtful protest. He pointed to the group as an example of how people can spread their message civilly without being disruptive though they may disagree on the issue.
Vazquez questioned the governor about Utah’s “sensitive materials” in schools law, which is defined in the code as something containing pornography or obscenity. She said there have been an increasing number of books being challenged under the law throughout the state. Most of the works being reviewed in the Park City School District have LGBTQ+ and minority characters, or are written by authors belonging to those communities.
These books are important to queer students and students of color because it allows them to see themselves in what they read and study, Vazquez said. She asked Cox how we can ensure banning such books doesn’t erase people’s experiences and history.
The governor said he is concerned about deep polarization occurring throughout the country and that the state doesn’t want to target marginalized groups. Cox, however, indicated the state is trying to maintain a balance in ensuring schools are providing age-appropriate materials.
“We need to make sure that their voices are represented. I always tell people, look, in any culture war issue, in any controversial issue, always look for the third way. There’s always a third way out there,” he said. “That third way happens when people who disagree are able to sit down and look for that common ground.”
He provided a similar answer when Minter asked about the state’s sexual education policies, which stress the importance of waiting until marriage to have sex, and the resources that are available to teens. Cox said students need to learn about what can come from a sexually active lifestyle as well as preventing sexually transmitted diseases, and he advocated for thorough sex education in an age-appropriate way.
“I hope that there’s enough room in the law that we can teach those things,” he said. “We may not be exactly where we should be, but I hope we’re getting closer.”
The governor also addressed the $7.25 minimum wage in Utah. There isn’t any proposed legislation to officially raise the number, Cox said, but he added that it’s unlikely anyone in the state is being paid that little. He noted the state’s low unemployment rate, which was around 2.4% in February, and said his goal is to bring rent down by working with the state to address land issues that restrict single-family and workforce housing developments from being built.
The possibility of the Olympics returning to Utah came up, too. Cox affirmed that the Winter Games “are coming back,” stating that he expected an announcement about whether the state will host in 2030 or 2034 to come by next year.
This week’s visit was part of the governor’s Connecting Utah tour, where he plans to meet with students and community members throughout each of the state’s 29 counties. Cox visited Wasatch High School earlier in the day before traveling to Summit County.
He spoke to students at both schools about his own experiences growing up and the concerns he had about the country and the world while highlighting some of his accomplishments while in office. Cox also asked students about the best and worst parts of being in school as well as their concerns about the future and what they wish adults knew about them.
The governor’s overall message to youth across the Wasatch Back was that they are not helpless. While some Park City students said they feel apathetic and scrambled about the state of the country, Cox said he believes their generation will solve the world’s problems.
“We can’t survive as a country unless we remember how to disagree the right way, we remember how to debate the right way. In fact, the best way to change someone’s mind is to actually listen to them,” he said. “What you have here is what the rest of the country needs. What you have are the answers to the worst problems that are facing us as a society.”