1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

Dear Governor Cox, I am writing as a constituent to express my strong objection to your declaration of September 10 as "Charlie Kirk Day" in Utah. I understand the impulse to honor someone who was killed in our state, and I do not condone political violence in any form. But a formal, statewide day of remembrance is a statement about whose values represent Utah — and Charlie Kirk's public record does not belong in that category. Across years of speeches, broadcasts, and social media posts, Kirk built a platform substantially on confrontational rhetoric that frequently crossed into content widely documented as racially charged, dismissive of women, and hostile toward LGBTQ+ people and religious minorities. That record is well documented in outlets like the Guardian's review of his public statements. Utah has long prided itself on civility, neighborliness, and a "disagree better" ethos that you yourself have championed nationally. Elevating a uniquely divisive figure to the status of official state commemoration sends a message that undercuts that very brand — and tells the Utahns targeted by his rhetoric that their governor sees his legacy as worth enshrining rather than reckoning with. I respectfully ask that you rescind this proclamation, or at minimum decline to renew it in future years. Utah can mourn a killing and reject political violence without officially honoring the deceased's full body of public work. Thank you for your time and consideration.