September 3, 2024, Salt Lake City – UDP Executive Director Thom DeSirant released the following statement today:

“On August 29, MAGA Extremist Ken Ivory invited election-denying Congressman Burgess Owens to celebrate the Utah law that banned 13 books from Public Schools. While Owens spouted MAGA conspiracy theories, another speaker Ivory invited called on the authors of the banned titles to ‘repent.’

It’s weird that a sitting legislator would celebrate a book ban by platforming conspiracy theorists. Ivory and Owens may claim that they support ‘small government,’ but when it comes to what books kids can read, they think that politicians, not parents, should have the final say. 

The Republican Party may say they’re the party of liberty, but their actions tell a different story. So long as they try to control what your children can and can’t read, they cannot pretend to stand for your freedoms.”