SALT LAKE CITY — State Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan, has announced her retirement from the Utah Legislature.

On Thursday afternoon, Birkeland, who has served in the Utah House of Representatives since 2020, said she would resign on Jan. 10, 2025, according to her resignation letter posted on social media.

“My family and work commitments increasingly require my attention away from home, a trend that I expect will continue over the next year or two,” Birkeland wrote. “This decision was not made lightly; It’s been bothering me for some time, partly because I have the feeling that my work here is far from finished. However, current circumstances require me to focus on other important tasks.”

My priorities are:
My faith
My family
My voters

At the moment my family, especially my parents, need more time.#utleg pic.twitter.com/0LJXCxhEgI

— KeraBirk (@KeraBirk) December 26, 2024

In an email to her colleagues in the House of Representatives on Thursday, Birkeland elaborated. She noted that “her mother’s illness has required a lot of time and attention and I feel it is necessary to focus on my family during this challenging time.”

Birkeland quickly became a high-profile member of the House GOP caucus. She supported several controversial bills addressing LGBTQ issues.

HB11, a bill Birkeland sponsored in 2022, banned transgender children from participating in girls’ sports. It earned a rare veto from Gov. Spencer Cox before the Legislature overrode it. This ban was put on hold through a lawsuit and will remain in place until the outcome. However, a separate section of the law allows a state commission to decide whether an athlete can participate on a team that matches their gender identity.

Please read the full story and more from Daniel Woodruff at KSLTV.com.