Utah state Sen. Mike Kennedy’s home vandalized after sponsoring transgender bill

A Utah state lawmaker’s residence was vandalized this week — in retaliation for introducing a invoice to stop minors from receiving transgender medical remedy, in line with police  

The storage doorways at Republican state Sen. Mike Kennedy’s residence in Alpine, a suburb of Salt Lake Metropolis, have been lined in crimson spray-painted messages, which learn “Fash,” brief for fascist, and “These trannies bash again,” in line with pictures Kennedy shared on Fb. 

“The suspects seem to have focused the Senator based mostly on laws that not too long ago handed within the final legislative session,” Lone Peak cops instructed CNN.

Earlier this 12 months, Kennedy sponsored SB16, which banned remedies corresponding to gender-affirming surgical procedure and puberty blockers for teens.

The laws handed the state Legislature’s Basic Session in January and was signed into regulation quickly after by Gov. Spencer Cox.

“To those that search to make use of violence, vandalism, and intimidation to discourage me from standing up for what is true, let me be clear: you’ll not succeed. I can’t be deterred by your cowardly actions,” Kennedy mentioned.

“The current vandalism to my household’s residence was not simply an assault on me, however on the very rules our state stands for.”

At the very least 11 states have handed comparable bans stopping minors from receiving gender-affirming procedures, together with Georgia, Iowa and Tennessee, and West Virginia. 

Many proponents of the brand new bans say such remedies are harmful for minors, who they’re aiming to guard.

LGBTQ advocacy teams and main medical associates declare such remedies are acceptable for these affected by “gender dysphoria,” or the psychological misery from their gender identification and assigned intercourse at start not matching, in line with the American Psychiatric Affiliation. 

Equality Utah, the state’s main LGBTQ advocacy group, condemned the vandalism in a press release, noting that it didn’t know who defaced the state lawmaker’s residence, however believed it was associated to SB 16. 

“To the extent this, or some other act of violence or vandalism towards our public officers, is expounded to LGBTQ advocacy, we wish to make it clear that Equality Utah condemns these techniques within the absolute strongest phrases,” the group mentioned. 

“These heinous acts don’t assist LGBTQ Utahns. They don’t advance a local weather of equality,” Equality Utah added.