Utah governor declares June "a month of bridge building"

Gov. Spencer Cox rankled progressives and conservatives alike by declaring June "a month of bridge building" rather than the traditional Pride month .

• One line in particular raised eyebrows: "In Utah we love our children and we hope to live in such a way that our children will forever love us even if at times we disagree over deeply held personal views or beliefs."

The big picture: Some corners of LGBTQ+ advocacy in Utah have historically faced criticism for focusing too much on appealing to parents and potential allies over the LGBTQ+ people who are directly targeted with bigotry.

• That tension can run especially high in Mormonism, which instructs members to uphold leaders who have promoted anti-LGBTQ+ policies and beliefs .

Friction point: Research shows family acceptance is a big factor in protecting LGBTQ+ youth from depression. But when acceptance is patchy, it often falls to the child to maintain ties with parents who reject a core part of who they are, according to one 2021 study .

• That means the "bridge building" between a child and parents who reject them is likely not a symmetrical compromise over a mere "disagreement."

The intrigue: It was unclear whether Cox's declaration put more burden on children or their disapproving parents.

• "Is that [Cox's] way of saying if you're unlucky enough to have one of 'those' children you still have to like them?" one Utahn asked on X, formerly known as Twitter. "It's just such an oddly worded statement with no real connection to Pride Month."
• "You have to admit, 'I hope my kids love me forever no matter what' is kinda the weirdest thing in a document," another posted .

Cox's office did not respond to Axios' query about the line in the proclamation.

Flashback: The governor came under fire last year for removing all LGBTQ+ references from his Pride month declaration.

Sign up for Axios Salt Lake City for free.