Democrats who oppose gender ideology are suing the state of Illinois for blocking their ability to fundraise without the permission of Democratic Party officials.
The organization Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender (DIAG) is filing a lawsuit against Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. His office is responsible for enforcing a unique law that prohibits nonprofits in the state from using “democrat” or “republican” in their names unless party bosses approve their use.
Giannoulias (pictured) is a Democrat.
“Illinois is the only state in which DIAG attempted to register as a charitable organization and was required to get permission from a political party due to its name,” the lawsuit states. The group is being represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).
DIAG’s lawsuit argues that its agenda is directly at odds with the approach of the Democratic Party when it comes to so-called “gender-affirming care” and the treatment of gender-confused minors. The dissident group opposes drugs and surgeries for minors. It also wants to keep males out of female sports.
The group does not want to ask someone else for “permission” to speak.
“DIAG objects to needing to seek permission from a private actor before exercising its First Amendment rights,” the lawsuit states.
The biological reality activists also say they have been harmed by the state’s refusal to approve their application – multiple Illinois residents have expressed interest in donating online, but the group has had to deny their requests for now.
It is the “freedom to speak out” and challenge the status quo, particularly in the Democratic Party, that drives the group. Therefore, asking for permission would undermine the organization’s goals, a DIAG leader said.
“The Illinois Democratic Party doesn’t get to decide whether we can call ourselves ‘Democrats,'” DIAG Board Secretary Jenny Poyer Ackerman stated in a news release.
“DIAG was founded on our belief in open inquiry, challenging ideological conformity, and above all, the freedom to speak out,” Ackerman said. “Backing down would go against everything we believe in.”
Requesting permission from a political party to speak freely also undermines the First Amendment.
“Illinois can’t get around the First Amendment by outsourcing censorship to party bosses,” FIRE attorney Daniel Zahn stated. “No American — Republican, Democrat, or independent — should have to bend the knee before a political party to participate in the political system.”
On rare occasions, leading Democrats have spoken out against transgender ideology, and in particular, its effects on minors. However, they have usually retreated or equivocated.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, for example, told the late Charlie Kirk there was an issue of “fairness” in men competing against women. However, he refused to stop a male high school athlete from competing in female track and field in the state.
Last year, Newsom also said he wants “to see trans kids.”
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