| Kera Birkeland | |
| Office: | Member of the Utah House of Representatives |
| Constituency: | 53rd district (2020–2023) 4th district (2023–present) |
| Term Start: | April 16, 2020 |
| Predecessor: | Logan Wilde |
| Birth Name: | Kera V. Yates[1] |
| Party: | Republican |
| Spouse: | Lars Birkeland |
| Children: | 5 |
| Residence: | Morgan, Utah |
Kera Birkeland is an American politician, educator, and coach from Utah. She currently serves as the representative for Utah House District 4. She is on the Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, House Education Committee, and House Judiciary Committee.[2] Birkeland replaced Logan Wilde in April 2020, and was elected to a full term in 2020, with 64 percent of the vote.[3]
Prior to election, she competed in the 2012 Mrs. Utah pageant[4] and served as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries, representing Ted Cruz.
She expressed distaste toward Donald Trump at the time.[5] Birkeland reported being threatened in the bathroom by other female[6] Trump supporters who allegedly told her "you should die" after disagreements regarding floor proceedings.[7]
In January 2021, Birkeland introduced a resolution to honor Utah Jazz player Donovan Mitchell over retired player Shaquille O'Neal, as well as to make 'Spida' (Mitchell's nickname) the state arachnid of Utah. The resolution passed.[8]
During the 2021 legislative session, Birkeland led efforts and introduced a bill to ban female transgender athletes from high school sports in Utah.[9] This was vetoed by Republican Utah Governor Spencer Cox but passed with a supermajority in the legislature in a subsequent vote after proponents flipped ten votes in the state house and five in the senate.[10] The law currently faces ongoing litigation led by the ACLU of Utah.[11]
In August, a state judge issued an injunction stopping enforcement of the ban, but left the rest of the bill in effect, meaning that transgender girls can seek permission from the commission to play on girls high school sports teams.[12]
The names of the minor age athletes and the resulting rulings brought by parents to the board, are confidential under Utah government records law.[13] On February 7, 2024, Birkeland revealed that 4[14] student athletes had petitioned the Utah sports commission and all 4 had been denied in closed session.[15]