In the final debate hosted by the Utah Debate Commission before Election Day, candidates for Utah’s 4th Congressional District sparred on LGBTQ+ issues.
Candidates were asked via social media how they planned to protect LGBTQ+ kids amidst “vitriolic attacks from politicians throughout the country.”
The Democratic candidate, Katrina Fallick-Wang, is a queer single mother who works as a digital marketer. She was firm in her support of the LGBTQ+ community, especially queer youth.
“I wanted to run to show them that even though we have some legislators in the state who are behaving very hatefully, that most Utahns love them and support them,” Fallick-Wang said.
Several anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been passed in the last couple years, such as S.B. 16, which restricted gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, and H.B. 257, which limited trans people’s ability to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
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Burgess Owens, the Republican incumbent who works as a nonprofit executive, said that while he had no problem with gay people, his support stopped at trans people.
“Let’s not force something that is so no common sense on the rest of us and think we’re gonna take it,” Owens said. “At the end of the day, men—believe—belong in men’s bathrooms, women believe—belong in women’s bathrooms. It’s XY, XX. Depending on which one you are, that’s where you belong.”
Notably, there are a number of chromosome anomalies such as triple X syndrome that mean males may not have XY chromosomes and females may not have XX. Chromosomes are also not the only factors that go into assigning sex at birth, and some individuals are intersex, meaning they don’t fit into the male/female sex binary.
Fallick-Wang was allowed a rebuttal to Owens’ comments. She said that while she understands having a conversation at a high level in sports, restricting trans children from sports only hampers their future.
“I am the parent of a trans child, and it hurts me and it hurts him so deeply,” Fallick-Wang said. “He’s just in sixth grade, and all that he wants to do is run track.”
Owens, who was a professional football player for ten years, argued that letting trans women and girls, which he referred to as “young men,” participate in women’s sports isn’t fair to cis women and girls.
“Recognize what women are going through, girls are going through, when they compete, do everything they can, and a young man stands up and takes their honors, their opportunities,” Owens said. “So we have to be sure that we’re being fair.”
Both candidates are running for the 4th Congressional District of Utah in the U.S. House, along with United Utah Party candidate Vaughn Cook and unaffiliated candidate M. Evan Bullard.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.
