Inside Voices: Utah Rep. Burgess Owens’ comments about Beyoncé prompt questions

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Utah Rep. Burgess Owens made waves this week when he called into question Beyoncé’s Best Country Album Grammy award.

“I think that’s the closest thing to DEI we’re going to see right now,” Owens told a reporter. “You put all that hard work to develop your fan base, you go out there [and] you work to develop a reputation, and all of a sudden somebody comes out of the blue — because she’s popular in something else — and she gets the best. Nobody respects that. And unfortunately, because of that, Beyonce will not be respected by that core group of people that she’s now singing.”

Owens went on to compare the “fairness” of the Black artist’s country music win to transgender women playing women’s sports.

In her acceptance speech, Beyoncé said “sometimes genre is a codeword to keep us in our place as artists, and I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about and to stay persistent.”

Owens’ comments sparked a conversation on The Tribune’s Instagram page. Here’s what you had to say.

• “He’s a former NFL player with no real history in politics. Please @repburgessowens sit this one out.”

• “Didn’t Post Malone win a huge country award for his album last year? If anything I think it just shows how country music has been a smaller pool of sub culture for a long time. And when mega artists enter the realm they are bound to dominate. Like when American ballers go overseas to play pro.”

• “Girl I’m not even a fan of Beyonce & this is an INSANE reach. Also, wtf do the Grammys have to do with anything going on in our state right now???”

• “I’ve sent several emails to Owens with different problems I want addressed and have so far received 1 auto generated response. Glad to know he’s hard at work doing whatever this [expletive] is”

• “So I guess it was ok for taylor swift to go pop from country and win up all those awards?”

• “For once I agree with him”

Follow us on Instagram to join the conversation, and learn more about how you can share your perspective via an op-ed or letter to the editor.

Utah Voices

The following excerpts come from op-eds recently published in The Tribune.

Trolley Square shooting

• “We cannot bring Jeff back. But we can educate our communities,” writes Vickie Walker, who lost her husband in the Trolley Square shooting. “We can help others recognize trauma and extend compassion to those who are drowning in it. We can create a world where no one has to walk this path alone, and just maybe, we can create a world where we are all a little more safe, a little more loved, a little more compassionate.” Read more.

Student protesters

• “As professors, we uphold the values of critical thinking and of taking action in defense of one’s principles as central to the purposes of higher education and vital to the health of our democracy,” write Kendall Gerdes and Sydney Cheek-O’Donnell with the University of Utah chapter of the American Association of University Professors. “We insist on the authority of the U.S. Constitution to protect the rights of protesters who speak out against violence and injustice.” Read more.

Wildfires

• “There’s a hard truth we need to face: There is no fire-free future in Utah,” writes USU professor Patrick Belmont. “Some landscapes, particularly our ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer forests, would be far healthier if we let them burn more often. Frequent, low-intensity fires clear out underbrush, recycle nutrients and create more resilient ecosystems. Indigenous communities understood this for centuries, using prescribed burns to maintain healthy landscapes. Instead of resisting fire at all costs, we should be asking how we can learn to live with it.” Read more.

Gun violence

• “We call on our law makers to do the simple, straightforward thing and take a public health approach to gun violence,” writes Linda F. Smith on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Utah and of Salt Lake. “To prevent accidents, suicides, school shootings and thefts — hold adults accountable if they fail to lock up their fire arms to keep them away from our children.” Read more.

Doomsday Clock

• “With global tensions on the brink in the nuclear arena, the voices of those of us who have already suffered the devastating and ongoing effects of nuclear weapons must be integral to any discussion of this planet’s nuclear future,” writes downwinder Mary Dickson. “Our insights and perspective are as important as the voices of think tanks experts and policy makers. Our lived experience should serve as a warning against ever testing or using these deadly weapons again.” Read more.

A threat to public records

• “I understand access to public records is far more likely to keep me up at night than it may you,” writes Tribune CEO and executive editor Lauren Gustus. “And that it is my job to fight this fight. But if you count on us to hold those in power to account, access to the documents that underpin their work is a critical tool. We are your eyes and ears. We are an independent, nonprofit newsroom that exists to work in your service. We do this work without fear of reprisal for telling the truth. Read more.

Share Your Perspective

Utah is once again considering a bill that would do away with changing our clocks. I want to hear from you: Should we make daylight saving time permanent, make standard time permanent, or continue making the twice annual change? Tell me what you think — and why.

From Bagley’s Desk

I’m always looking for unique perspectives, ideas and solutions that move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop me a note at voices@sltrib.com.