Tag Archives: Spencer Cox

UT Lawmakers Pass Ban On College Diversity Programs

NBC News reports: Utah’s legislature became the latest in the U.S. to pass a bill Friday prohibiting diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and in state government. The bill that cleared the state House and Senate by wide margins now heads to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican who has said he is likely to sign such a …

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23 GOP Governors Skip Convention Of State Governors

Politico reports: There are 26 Republican governors. Three of them showed up here this week at the annual summer meeting of the National Governors Association. And of those three, one left after the first night, and another had little choice but to attend — his chairship of the group began at the conclusion of this year’s gathering. Striding the Hard …

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UT Gov Vows To Sue Social Media Over Use By Minors

Politico reports: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday he is getting ready to sue social media companies for the harm caused to his state’s young people. “In the coming months, you will see lawsuits being filed by the state of Utah to hold them accountable,” Cox, a Republican, said during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Cox signed legislation …

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Utah Gov Issues Pride Proclamation Without “LGBTQ”

Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate reports: Governor Spencer Cox issued a proclamation Wednesday, marking June as Pride Month and calling on Utahns to be more welcoming and accepting of the LGBTQ community.  “This should not be controversial,” the governor told FOX 13 News in an interview about the proclamation. “There should be nothing controversial about supporting a group of people …

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Pornhub Blocks Access In Utah Over Age Verification

Axios reports: The adult content website Pornhub blocked access in Utah on Monday due to new state laws requiring websites with adult content to verify users’ ages before allowing them to access the platforms. Pornhub.com now opens on devices in Utah with a message that states the company has “made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website …

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New Utah Law Restricts Social Media Usage By Minors

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Utah is the first state in the nation to begin restricting how minors can use social media apps. Gov. Spencer Cox signed a pair of bills on Thursday that will regulate when and how minors in Utah can use of social media and aims to stop those companies from designing addicting features. Those new laws …

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GOP Utah Gov Signs Bill Banning All Abortion Clinics

ABC News reports: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has signed a bill into law banning abortion clinics in the state, making it the latest to restrict the procedure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Cox, a Republican, signed H.B. 467 after it passed the state Senate on March 2 and state House on March 3, both along party lines. …

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Utah Lawmakers Approve Design For New State Flag

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: The bill to change Utah’s state flag squeaked by on the House floor Thursday morning on a razor-thin 40-35 vote, thus ending debate on the surprising controversy that engulfed the Legislature since the start of the 2023 session. The process of redesigning the state flag began in 2019. The new design emerged from more than …

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Utah Gov Blasts MTG’s “Evil” Call For “National Divorce”

The Hill reports: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) on Monday hit back at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s calls for a “national divorce” of Republican and Democratic states, saying the lawmaker’s rhetoric is “evil.” Greene on Monday suggested the U.S. “separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government,” re-upping her suggestion of a “divorce” to solve the …

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GOP Utah Gov Signs Anti-Trans Youth Healthcare Ban

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Gov. Spencer Cox signed two hotly debated bills Saturday: one that will create the largest school voucher program in state history, and another that will ban most gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. The controversial measures, which have drawn protest and debate since they were introduced, are the first two bills Cox has signed this …

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GOP Utah Governor Issues Pride Month Proclamation

Ben Winslow reports for Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate: Governor Spencer Cox issued a proclamation Wednesday, marking June as Pride Month and calling on Utahns to be more welcoming and accepting of the LGBTQ community. “This should not be controversial,” the governor told FOX 13 News in an interview about the proclamation. “There should be nothing controversial about supporting a …

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Republican Utah Governor Vetoes Anti-Trans Sports Bill

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Utah legislative leaders on Tuesday announced their plan to meet this Friday for an override session minutes after Gov. Spencer Cox vetoed a bill that would prevent transgender girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identities. In a letter addressed to Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Brad Wilson, Cox defended …

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GOP Utah Governor To Veto Anti-Trans Athletes Bill

The Associated Press reports: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that he plans to veto legislation passed Friday that would ban transgender student-athletes from competing in girls sports. Without his support, Utah is unlikely to join the 11 states, all Republican-led, that have recently enacted bans on transgender girls wanting to compete in school sports leagues. In vowing to veto the …

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Utah Gov: Vax Opposition Is “Literally Killing” People

The Deseret News reports: Gov. Spencer Cox is counting on stories from Utahns who skipped the COVID-19 shots and then became gravely ill after catching the virus to encourage more vaccinations in the state, warning that opposition to the vaccines is “literally killing” people. “I promise you the disease is worse than the vaccine. I can’t make it more clear …

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Utah Governor Declares “Weekend Of Prayer” For Rain

Salt Lake City’s NBC News affiliate reports: With hot, dry weather in the immediate and long-term forecasts, Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday called on Utahns to pray for rain this weekend as Utah’s drought conditions continue to worsen. In a pre-recorded video, the governor called on Utahns of all faiths to join him in a “weekend of humble prayer” from …

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GOP Utah Gov Is State’s First To Recognize Pride Month, Salt Lake City Mayor Raises Rainbow Flag Over City Hall

Salt Lake City’s ABC News affiliate: On Monday, Governor Spencer Cox issued an order declaring June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Utah. “We must encourage relevant and vital conversations about what it means to love each other, understand our differences, and support our LGBTQ+ friends and family members,” Gov. Cox says in the declaration. “We can strengthen resilience in the …

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GOP Utah Governor Signs “Porn Filter On Phones” Bill

The Associated Press reports: Utah is a step closer to requiring all cellphones and tablets sold in the conservative state to automatically block pornography after the Republican governor signed legislation Tuesday that critics call a significant intrusion of free speech. Gov. Spencer Cox has said the measure would send an “important message” about preventing children from accessing explicit online content. …

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Anderson Cooper Tributes Spencer Cox

With help from fellow AIDS activist Rosie Perez.

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AIDS Activist Spencer Cox Dies At 44

Groundbreaking AIDS activist Spencer Cox, who was profiled in the documentary How To Stop A Plague, has died of HIV-related complications at the age of 44. Cox is widely credited with helping create the drug testing protocols that rushed life-saving medications to a desperate community.  ACT UP sends us his obituary: From 1994 to 1999, he was Director of the …

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