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MURRAY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson denounced Utah State Board of Education member Natalie Cline Wednesday evening for her post on social media about a high school student-athlete and said Cline "embarrassed the state."
"We were stunned to learn of the unconscionable behavior of board member Cline and others toward a high school student today. The last thing our children need is an elected official harassing them on social media," a joint statement from Cox and Henderson said.
"Sadly, this is not the first time that board member Cline has embarrassed the state of Utah and State Board of Education. We urge the State Board of Education to hold her accountable and we commend Granite School District for taking swift action to protect this student's safety and well-being," the statement said.
The since-deleted post by Cline, of Bluffdale, was a screenshot of an Instagram post from a girls basketball team in Granite School District promoting an upcoming game. The post, which Cline captioned "Girls basketball ...", included a picture of two student-athletes on the team. Although Cline's original post has been deleted, screenshots of it — as well as comments made by others under the photo — circulated on social media Wednesday.
"Cline's post inferred that the teenager might be transgender. The student, in fact, is not," leaders of LGBTQ advocacy group, Equality Utah, said in a statement.
The comment section of Cline's post quickly filled with transphobic vitriol and bullying directed at one of the students.
"Natalie Cline has a history of posting inflammatory opinions; however, this is a new level of depravity and bullying," Equality Utah leaders said. "Cline's post perpetuates a modern-day witch hunt, where hysterical adults police the bodies of children to determine if they are masculine or feminine enough."
Parents speak out
Al and Rachel van der Beek, parents of the 16-year-old girl targeted in the posts, want Cline to resign. The parents told KSL-TV they were informed Wednesday morning by school officials their daughter was being accused of being a boy playing girls basketball in a Facebook post.
"I started reading some of the comments. They were disgusting. It was cyberbullying at its finest," Al van der Beek said.
The parents describe their daughter as a tomboy, who has short hair because that's what makes her comfortable. She also wears baggier clothes and goes to the gym frequently, so she has muscles, they said.
"To look at someone's outer appearance and make an assumption that they're either playing in the right arena or not, based on how someone looks, I don't think is appropriate," Rachel van der Beek said.
The parents are disappointed Cline posted the picture without fact-checking. They said their family is rallying around their daughter, but not every child is lucky enough to have that support.
"I want all kids to know it's OK to be who they are," Rachel van der Beek said.
Although the parents have talked with their daughter about the post, they don't think the impact of it has really sunk in yet and anticipate they'll be talking about it with her for a long time.
Cline responds to backlash
Cline responded with a statement posted to Facebook Wednesday that reads, "I previously shared a public advertisement for a school basketball game that was sent to me by multiple concerned parents, and it created a firestorm around one of the players pictured. Personal information as well as derogatory comments about the player were made by several commenters. To protect the player, I have removed the post. My deepest apologies for the negative attention my post drew to innocent students and their families."
In an updated statement Wednesday evening, Cline defended herself, saying she never made claims about the student-athlete's gender. She said several people have reached out to her and "vouched" for the student.
"We live in strange times when it is normal to pause and wonder if people are what they say they are because of the push to normalize transgenderism in our society. But that is definitely not the case with this student, and I apologize again that the conversation around the post turned personal, that was never the intention, and again, I removed the post as soon as I realized what had transpired," Cline said.
Cline said in the new post a father approached her about being "trespassed" by a school for questioning the gender of a player on the opposing team at his daughter's game. She said the father was protecting his daughter and "acting in good faith," but he was treated like a "criminal" for raising the question.
"This is not acceptable, either. The ground is shifting with so many exceptions being made to the rules that it's hard to know what the rules are any more, which leads to misunderstanding and confusion on all sides of what used to be a black and white issue," Cline said. "We are all trying to preserve women's sports and their privacy spaces."
Cline said it is important to recognize and be accepting of variety within females, in regards to physical characteristics, and to make them feel welcome.
"In a world that sometimes uses children as human shields to push radical agendas, it has become increasingly difficult to trust and to know how to protect children without hurting children when children are the targets and victims in so much of the chaos and confusion swirling around us. Again, my deepest apologies to the family and this young lady," she added.
Lawmaker reacts
Much like her initial post, Cline's statement was met with supporters affirming her behavior and others criticizing her targeting of a public school student, even drawing the ire of Utah state Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan — the lawmaker who sponsored a controversial bill passed in 2022 that banned transgender girls from competing on girls sports teams at public schools.
Birkeland commented on Cline's statement on Facebook and said if it were her child who was targeted, she'd "be talking to an attorney right now."
"It is not brave or responsible to attack someone based on their outward appearance, especially when it's a child. It's horrible. A post was made to stir up controversy over a GIRL who plays basketball," Birkeland said. "There is a process in place to make sure that high school athletics in Utah are fair and where appropriate, separated by sex. Trust the process. And even if you don't trust the process, be good enough humans to handle your concerns through the appropriate channels. For those saying that player is a boy, PLEASE stop. She's a girl and she deserves privacy and respect."
Ben Horsley, spokesman for Granite School District, told KSL.com on Wednesday the district is aware of Cline's post.
"We have significant concerns with the apparent intent of board member Cline's post and are working to ensure the safety and well-being of this student. We are also taking additional precautions for the safety and security of the school as the comments on the post indicated the potential for significant disruption to the educational and extracurricular activities associated with this campus," says a statement from the district.
The Utah State Board of Education responded to a request for comment Wednesday evening, saying it "does not have a statement at this time."
Cline's post is the latest in a long run of social media activity that has drawn criticism and in some instances, "incited hate speech," as the State Board of Education deemed in September 2021 after taking an "unprecedented" step of reprimanding Cline for her social media use.
This is a pattern of irresponsible behavior from Cline, whose sanctimonious rhetoric conceals her true character — she is a mean, schoolyard bully.
–Equality Utah
In July 2023, Cline once again fell under investigation by the board for a possible investigation of board bylaws after she allegedly made a comment about a Utah State Board of Education staff member's gender orientation during a presentation at the Taylorsville Library as part of an organization she runs called "Higher Ground," according to people in the audience.
A month after the investigation was launched, the board concluded with a determination that Cline did not violate any board bylaws.
"This is a pattern of irresponsible behavior from Cline, whose sanctimonious rhetoric conceals her true character — she is a mean, schoolyard bully. Cline is now harming the very children she has been elected to protect. If she does not show the decency to resign, we call on Utah voters to protect Utah's children and deny her a second term this November," Equality Utah said.
Contributing: Shelby Lofton
