Letter to Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox
In moments of tragedy, the words of our leaders carry extraordinary weight. They can either bring people together in shared grief or deepen the divides that already strain our communities. Following the recent killing of Charlie Kirk, Utah Governor Spencer Cox made public statements that, in my view, risked the latter. While I believe Governor Cox’s intent is to heal, not harm, his words nevertheless underscore the responsibility all leaders have to choose language that unites rather than polarizes.
As both a physician and a citizen, I felt compelled to respond. My letter to Governor Cox—shared here in full—calls attention to the power of rhetoric and urges a more careful, constructive approach in moments when our state most needs compassion and clarity.
September 20, 2025
The Honorable Spencer J. Cox
Governor of Utah
Utah State Capitol Complex
350 North State Street, Suite 200
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
Dear Governor Cox,
I write to you with deep respect for your leadership and with concern about some of the statements you made in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s tragic killing. In the hours following the event, you suggested that the shooting was politically motivated before the suspect had even been apprehended. Later, you described the accused as “deeply indoctrinated by leftist ideology.”
I recognize your remarks may have been made in the heat of grief and shock. Yet they risk reinforcing division and casting blame on entire groups of people without sufficient evidence. As later reporting has shown, the suspect may not have been “leftist” at all, but rather a deeply troubled individual, struggling with feelings about how LGBTQ people are viewed and treated. Whatever his motive, labeling him in partisan terms both oversimplifies a complex situation and stigmatizes those who hold different views.
Even if the accused had been firmly committed to views antithetical to your own, describing him—and by extension those who share some of his views—in such ideological terms does more to harden divisions than to promote healing. It sends a message that compassion and fairness for LGBTQ people are partisan positions, when in fact they are widely shared across the political spectrum. Many Republican leaders and voters support nondiscrimination protections and embrace dignity for LGBTQ individuals out of conscience, not ideology.
Governor, you have shown great empathy in the past. Your apology after the Pulse nightclub massacre, and your decision to veto legislation that would have harmed transgender youth, demonstrated courage and compassion. That is the leadership Utahns—and all Americans—most need now.
I urge you to use your words not to ascribe motives prematurely or to cast blame on political identities, but to bridge divides and promote understanding. In moments of tragedy, our leaders have the power to help us grieve together and seek solutions rooted in dignity, justice, and shared humanity. I hope your future words will reflect that higher calling.
With respect,
Lynn R. Webster, MD
Words matter. They do not just reflect our values—they shape them. When leaders use language that divides, they risk deepening wounds and fueling hostility. But when they choose words that heal, they can unite communities and guide us toward common purpose.
It is not enough for us to notice harmful rhetoric; we must also speak out against it. Leaders should be held accountable for the words they use, and citizens must demand that public discourse reflect compassion, fairness, and respect for all. I urge each of you to insist on language that bridges divides, and to challenge words that tear us apart.
Unfortunately, many of our government leaders (like Governor Cox) and too many others took their cue regarding the shooting of Charlie Kirk from the current POTUS. He and Vice President J.D. Vance, almost immediately, came out with untrue accusations regarding Kirk’s shooter, describing him as a “Leftist Democrat,” when absolutely nothing whatsoever was known about the shooter at that time. If the POTUS states such deplorable and incendiary rhetoric, then it’s hard to blame those who fall for and repeat the same nonsensical accusations. The president constantly lies and/or exaggerates, even when the truth would serve him just as well. The unfortunate shooting of Mr. Kirk could have been used as an event to unify our country, with ALL saying “enough”, rather than to further cement the disdain each side holds for the other. Then, “adding insult to injury,” the president goes on to bully and threaten a television network (ABC, owned by Disney) into removing a weekly evening program, hosted by a well-known and much-beloved comedian, for simply saying something that the president did not like. By the time of Mr. Kimball’s statement, the Charlie Kirk pendulum had already swung so far right, with the president demanding flags to be flown at half-mast, a gigantic stadium memorial, multiple televised tributes, and many more “over-the-top” actions, in the attempt to elevate Mr. Kirk (a far-right podcaster) to sainthood and martyrdom, digging a much deeper devide, than we were already experiencing. However, the president’s and FCC Chairman, Mr. Carr’s, attack upon our constitutional Free Speech caused an immediate backlash by the American people, going against the Disney corporation and some of their many subsidiaries for pulling Mr. Kimball’s program off the air, was swift, impactful, and quite successful! The obvious, horrendous threat against Free Speech in our already-faltering country was just one step too far. We have seen corruption, collusion, intrusion, and injustice as merely the ‘baby steps’ of what this president and his unqualified, clown-car administration will stoop to for continued power and control. They seem to thrive upon usurping the rights of the American people, and especially those of color, women, legal immigrants, workers, and basically, anyone who does not follow their desired path for the destruction of America as we’ve long held dear.
Would you read dr. Websters letter and follow the blueprint. We do need a unified nation on something. Our country isn’t just a political arena , it is one of human life. I can understand there are some divides that may remain the gran canyon but even with the divide it is beautiful and will never become level playing field. Thank you for allowing my input as I love America, its flaws, warts and all.
Martha Sloan
This is a truly heartfelt letter by Dr. Webster and expresses wise and thoughtful concepts that we all should consider when dealing with divisive issues. As Dr. Webster mentions, if leaders followed these concepts, this would promote healing. These strategies were followed by Martin Luther King and Gandhi..non violence and respect, no matter what hate was speech was spued toward them..h
Dear Dr.Webster,
I will accord you the same latitude you did your governor in that your intent was not malicious. That being said, I find this stunning. You are taking Governor Cox to task for the weight of his words for stating the shooter was indoctrinated by leftist ideology and the incident was politically motivated. The sad fact is both are true. Your reaction to him in your letter is rather baffling. You appear to be universally empathetic to all people and share deep concern over the damage words can do. You ought to know. Words you wrote were crippling to one segment of society. You know it and said you didn’t mean it to stigmatize or cause harm, but you have never corrected your mistake. Your Opioid Risk Assessment Tool unfairly counts zero points against a man for having been sexually assaulted in childhood, but up to three points against a woman who was sexually assaulted as a child. The assessment was directly responsible for stopping a woman in crippling pain from receiving the pain treatment she needed, and you know the same holds true today, but you have never retracted the assessment. I still remember her face and the look of pure betrayal she had when she paid the high price for honesty. She had no idea an honest answer to one question would mean she would not get pain relief. You are the reason few people who are aware of this will tell the truth now. She was chalked up to being collateral damage and you went on with your “profession” while she was left in a living hell.
Beyond that question, nothing else mattered. Her clinical information, along with the pathology to support her complaints of pain in need of treatment, went in the trash. You revictimized a person who was sexually victimized as a child. The same happens to every unfortunate WOMAN who is made to take that assessment. You have victims literally everywhere and you are going to take your governor to task for his words? You immediately took focus off of the horrible thing that happened because you feel he unfairly characterized a person who publicly executed Charlie Kirk. You choose to focus on empathy for the shooter and the lack thereof for what happened to the true victim. You make no mention of the loss his family is going through. You show no empathy for the loss America feels. Clearly, your chief concern is the LGBTQ………..community and political ramifications over the fact that a man was executed in front of his family and their lives have been destroyed.
You are 1000% correct in saying words matter. Your words matter, and so does the lack of accountability you show in having penned such a short-sided assessment that you know did cause and still causes irreparable harm to WOMEN every day. Maybe the physician should heal thy self or not worry about the splinter in your neighbor’s eye before attending to the telephone pole sticking out of yours.
Here is where your demonization of female pain patients but your deep empathy for people who are clearly mentally ill enters the realm of the bizarre. It doesn’t matter how you slice it. People who are willing to take Rx substances with black box FDA warnings and are willing to have their genitals surgically mutilated to become something they can never be which is the opposite sex, are mentally ill. Physicians who participate in this are criminal Our society choosing to coddle insanity is a huge part of why this happens.
You are offended at the perceived lack of empathy for transgenders and political ideology, but have no empathy for WOMEN who are victims of your assessment tool and no demonstrable empathy for the family of Charlie Kirk. It was disturbing enough to see you introduce the assessment and further to turn a blind eye to the number of WOMEN you have harmed as a result. To see you as an MD with a platform, use it to further divide people by making politics and sexual orientation front and center when a man was executed in cold blood in front if his wife and kids is profoundly disturbing.
I would kindly suggest maybe you are not a person qualified to lecture others on their use of words when you are responsible for incalculable suffering and death caused by your words.
Sincerely,
Leah R. LoneBear
Patient Advocate
Public Health Policy Activist
Theologian
Leah, thank you for sharing your concerns. I want to be clear on two points.
First, the Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) was never intended to deny anyone pain treatment. It was designed as a screening aid to guide the level of monitoring and support. When it has been used to block care — including for women with a history of trauma — that is a misapplication I have publicly condemned. In 2019, I wrote that such use is “a cruel misapplication of the ORT” (see my earlier blog, https://lynnwebstermd.com/2025/09/27/letter-to-utah-governor-spencer-j-cox/) and have continued to stress that people in pain should never be punished for their honesty.
Second, I did acknowledge the tragic killing of Charlie Kirk. My letter was not about him personally but about how leaders’ words can either divide us or help us better support families like his, who have endured the worst possible loss. The purpose of my letter was to urge Governor Cox — and all of us — to use language that promotes unity, compassion, and healing so fewer families have to experience such tragedies.
I know that, as a theologian, you appreciate the importance of respecting the dignity and views of all people. That is also what I hoped to emphasize in my letter: that in times of tragedy, our words should bring people together, not push them further apart.
Again, thank you for your comments.
Lynn, your letter and diplomacy always move me. Thanks for sharing and for being you.
Dr. Lynn’s letter was spot friggin’ ON! Thank you.