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BLUFFDALE — Even as she faces widespread rebuke from Utah lawmakers, state and local school officials and others, Natalie Cline, under fire for a social media post seemingly taking aim at Granite School District student, isn't backing down.
The conservative District 9 State Board of Education member — outspoken over the years in her unease with matters related to the LGBTQ community — affirmed her plans to seek reelection to the seat in a public Facebook post on Monday.
"I will continue working to protect children against the tsunami of education systems that are actively undermining faith, family and freedom," she said, in part, in the post. Among other things, she derided "systems" that "erase children's sexual inhibitions and boundaries and confuse them about biological reality," a seeming reference to debate in Utah over transgender students.
In a statement, Utah Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, blasted Cline's plans to continue her campaign.
"While she has a history of targeting marginalized communities, an action often argued to be protected by freedom of speech, her latest move crossed a line. She targeted a child on social media, which led to censure by her colleagues and the state Legislature," Romero said in a statement.
Cline's critics, meantime, are planning a demonstration on Tuesday outside the Utah Capitol to press Utah lawmakers to impeach Cline, according to an announcement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by the Utah Education Association. "While this is not a UEA-sponsored event, members are invited to attend."
Cline, R-Bluffdale, caused a firestorm after posting what had been meant as promotional material for an area girls basketball team's upcoming game to her Facebook page. One of the members of the team, a girl, has faced accusations of being a boy, according to her parents, and critics accused Cline of using her post to suggest the player is transgender. The girl is not transgender and the controversial Feb. 6 post, which apparently generated numerous attacks directed at the player, has since been deleted.
The controversy has continued, though, and Cline's fellow State School Board members on Feb. 14 formally censured her, asked her to resign and stripped her of her committee assignments and other key responsibilities. On Feb. 15, last Thursday, the Utah House and Utah Senate also approved resolutions formally censuring Cline, saying she "reprehensibly questioned the student's gender publicly and without evidence," among other things.
Cline didn't address the controversy in her Facebook post. Instead, she put the focus on her concern with the varied "systems" she says are embedded in schools that "exploit children" on behalf of different "agendas" unrelated to education and that make schools "full-service social welfare community centers," among other things.
On her website, she warned of the "global agenda" to "infiltrate local schools and minds with destructive ideologies, intentionally sexualize our children and destroy freedom by promoting global and digital citizenship over national and state sovereignty."
Cline faces a challenge in her bid for a second term in the District 9 seat from Republican Amanda Bollinger and Democrat Will Shiflett. The Republican Party nominating convention for that post and others is set for April 13, while the GOP primary will be held June 25. General election voting culminates Nov. 5.
In her social media posts, Bollinger hasn't referenced Cline. "Ready to make a difference in our schools? Join Amanda in her campaign for the Utah State School Board. Together, we can ensure every child succeeds," she said in one of her most recent X posts, from Saturday.
Shiflett took aim at Cline in a public Feb. 8 Facebook post, soon after her controversial Feb. 6 message. "Board Member Cline's public questioning of a student athlete's physical traits is yet another in her embarrassingly long history of divisive language and blatant harassment of innocent individuals. It is unconscionable that Ms. Cline chose to direct any of her energy against a high school student simply because that individual looked differently to her," Shiflett wrote.
