Republican politician gives heartfelt apology to LGBT people at Orlando vigil

While Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox (R-Utah) offered heartfelt words Monday to the LGBT community in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting during a vigil in Salt Lake City, Utah, he admitted that he wasn't always so sympathetic toward gay people. "I grew up in a small town and went to a small rural high school," Cox said, acknowledging that, as "straight, white, male, Republican," he probably wasn't who attendees expected to hear speak at the vigil. "There were some kids in my class that were different. Sometimes I wasn't kind to them. I didn't know it at the time, but I know now that they were gay. I will forever regret not treating them with the kindness, dignity, and respect — the love — that they deserved. For that, I sincerely and humbly apologize."

Cox said he finally realized the error in his ways after he actually got to know people in the LGBT community. "Over the intervening years, my heart has changed," he said. "It has changed because of you. It has changed because I have gotten to know many of you. You have been patient with me. You helped me learn the right letters of the alphabet in the right order even though you keep adding new ones. You have been kind to me."

Cox then encouraged everyone to undergo that same transformation. "Ultimately, there is only one way for us to come together," Cox said. "It must happen at a personal level. We must learn to truly love one another."

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You can watch Cox's full speech here, or an abridged version below. Becca Stanek