Six months into his first term, Spencer Cox made history by becoming the first Utah governor to recognize LGBTQ+ Pride Month. The following June, he issued an identical declaration.
But then, in 2023, Cox removed all mentions of “LGBTQ+” in his Pride Month declaration. By 2024, when the governor was up for reelection, June wasn’t Pride Month at all — he instead declared a “Month of Bridge Building.”
After a turbulent campaign in which the governor faced multiple challengers from his right, with those opponents attacking him for the reputation he once built as a Republican accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, Cox again had a new June message: not issuing a declaration at all.
“This June I’m reflecting on the values that bring us together here in Utah — service, respect, and love for our neighbor," a graphic posted to Cox’s social media pages Sunday evening said. “To those celebrating Pride and to all Utahns: may we keep building bridges of understanding and strive always to see the humanity in one another.”
The governor’s office declined to comment when asked why he opted not to issue a declaration.
There is limited data available as to how many Utahns identify as LGBTQ+ — and information is expected to become even more difficult to access under President Donald Trump’s administration with changes to public health data and cuts to research funding. Recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey indicate the number is around 10%.
The governor’s approach to Pride has mirrored his responses to efforts by the Legislature to roll back LGBTQ+ rights.
In 2022, when he still saw June as “LGBTQ+ Pride Month,” Cox vetoed a bill to restrict transgender girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identity — a move lawmakers overrode.
Then, during the legislative session prior to Cox removing “LGBTQ+” from his declaration, the governor signed an indefinite “moratorium” on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, calling it a “nuanced and thoughtful approach to this terribly divisive issue.”
Last year, ahead of his “Month of Bridge Building” proclamation, the governor signed into law a bill that banned transgender people from using bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity in government-owned buildings.
For the fourth consecutive year, lawmakers in February passed a law limiting the extent to which transgender Utahns can live openly by prohibiting transgender students from living in public college dorms designated for their gender identity. Cox signed that, too, without comment.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a press conference on the last day of the legislative session at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 7, 2025.
Cox’s account appeared to like a few of the comments left below his Instagram post on Sunday. When reached Monday, his office clarified the likes were unintentional.
One said: “I want to believe this is genuine BUT your track record with signing/not vetoing harmful anti-LGBTQIA+ bills that have affected Utahns, your own constituents, this statement just feels so damn hollow. Do better Governor Cox.”
But, before liking that remark, he liked another comment that said, “Pride is not how we make Utah a better place.”
This isn’t the first time since winning reelection last November that Cox has seemingly avoided, or taken an ambiguous position on policies impacting LGBTQ+ Utahns.
The long-awaited report analyzing evidence on the effects of gender-affirming care — commissioned in the bill banning such treatments — was posted last month. Researchers concluded it had positive outcomes for transgender youth, but the governor’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on how Utah should move forward.
When Cox signed the bill two years ago, he wrote in a statement,“ While we understand our words will be of little comfort to those who disagree with us, we sincerely hope that we can treat our transgender families with more love and respect as we work to better understand the science and consequences behind these procedures.”
In March, he allowed a bill intended to ban pride flags on public property to become law without his signature, while labeling it “one of the most divisive bills of the [legislative] session” in a letter to top lawmakers.
The governor said in the message that he opted not to veto the bill because he believed it had enough support for the Legislature to reconvene and override that action.
But he voiced support for a policy that would bar pride flags in classrooms, writing, “Parents are rightly upset when they bring their kids to publicly funded schools and see culture-war symbols in a place that should be apolitical. In an attempt to make some kids feel more welcome, other kids feel less welcome.”
Toward the end of his more than 700-word explanation for not vetoing or signing the bill, he addressed the LGBTQ community: “I know that recent legislation has been difficult. Politics can be a bit of a blood sport at times and I know we have had our disagreements. I want you to know that I love and appreciate you and I am grateful that you are part of our state. I know these words may ring hollow to many of you, but please know that I mean them sincerely.”
Note to readers, 1:55 p.m. • This story was updated to note that the governor’s office declined to respond to questions and a spokesperson said that social media comments were liked unintentionally.
