For Immediate Press Release
April 7, 2024

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On Friday, April 5, the CDP and DPOD issued a number of statements that referred to DIAG.

 

The CDP Chair, Shad Murib (@Shadmurib on X), tweeted a call for:

 

 “…[the] ‘viciously anti-trans org ‘Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender’ to immediately cease use of the Party name in CO.”

 

According to Murib, in a release issued by the CDP and posted on his X account, he believes he has the authority to prevent DIAG from using “Democrats” in our organization name. If we don’t comply, Murib stated that he “will bring the matter to the attention of the next State Central Committee and will follow up with additional action should this request not be immediately accommodated.”

 

DPOD Chair, James Reyes, issued a similar statement: “I want to make clear that the Democratic Party of Denver is not associated in any way with groups such as the so-called Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender (DIAG). Further, these groups are not authorized to use the moniker ‘Democrats’ and I call upon this group, and others like it, to immediately cease the unauthorized use of the term ‘Democrats’ in their organization’s name.” 

 

DPOD Organization Chair, Adrian L. Felix, followed Murib’s X post with this undemocratic comment: “…we must go further to purge this ideology from our candidates and party.”

 

The Kremlin would be proud. 

 

We can’t believe we even need to respond to something like this, but that is the world we live in right now.

 

First, according to legal counsel, the Democratic Party doesn’t have a monopoly on the word ”Democrat,“ and we don’t need their approval to use it.

 

DIAG stands for Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender. As we state very clearly on our website, DIAG is an organization of long-standing Democratic voters who are deeply concerned about the Party’s refusal to engage in necessary discourse on the issue of gender distress — particularly when it comes to the mounting evidence casting doubt on the efficacy and safety of medical interventions known as “Gender-Affirming Care.”

 

Second, neither the CDP or DPOD has any right to insist that everyone who considers themselves a Democrat must share exactly the same opinion on every issue. Last we checked, this is not what “democracy” means. These are shameful attempts to stifle freedom of speech and shut down crucial and reasonable dialogue.

 

Finally, several polls have shown (1, 2, 3, 4) that a majority of Democratic voters disagree with the Party’s positions on medical interventions for gender distress and the preservation of women’s spaces, sports, and opportunities. Despite the Party’s line on expansive inclusivity, based on their statements, the CDP and DPOD do not want these voters included in the party.

 

Thankfully, organizations like the LGBT Courage Coalition stand with us in the face of this unfortunate misrepresentation of how democracy works. As they tweeted earlier: “Seeking an evidence-based response to gender distress, especially for children and adolescents, is a position grounded in the basic principles of the Democratic party.” We couldn’t agree more.  

We are delighted to now be on the radar of the Democratic Party’s constituency in Colorado, many of whom we know share our concerns. Please check out our website and join us.

di-ag.org