What inspired you to launch Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender? For me, Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender grew out of my experiences as a parent who was blindsided by this issue when my child came out as “trans”. That sent me off on the typical liberal parent journey where you’ve already been somewhat brainwashed to affirm and rush your child to a gender clinic, thinking that the gender clinic will see this path doesn’t make sense for your child. So I did all that. I consented to puberty blockers. I got deluged in misinformation from the gender clinic claiming that all of this is exceptionally well-founded, based in the best scientific practices. And then I did my own research and figured out that this was just dangerous, incoherent nonsense, and that I had to find some way to get my kid out of it—which I haven’t been able to do yet.
I've noticed that there are a lot of small anti-trans organizations popping up, but I wonder how much impact they will have. Somehow all these small organizations need to be hammered into one great organization which, because of its size, will have some clout. But then, that would mean letting Republicans into our midst, and they have their own craziness.
I've written about this before, but it still confounds me HOW and WHY transgender ideology has so much appeal to liberals. Perhaps liberals watch too many science fiction shows in which people get transformed into this or that, and the star ship's doctor (with his 25th century medicine) can turn a human being into anything at all -- a Klingon into a Romulan into a Vulcan, like turning a pig's ear into a silk purse. There has been too much talk about how a person can be anything he or she wants to be -- but it just isn't true. Human beings are physical creatures, and our bodies tell us who and what we are.
I still remember that argument I had (via email) with a poetry editor who was worried sick about how torturous it was to be a child living in the wrong body. He was completely convinced that such children must be allowed to transition IMMEDIATELY if not sooner, lest they commit suicide. So many of the talking points of trans activists have been accepted as fact by too many people. Most people assume that the activists know what they are talking about and are being honest, but they aren't. They are pushing false ideas meant to fool people, meant to give their little gender revolution a chance. And all those talking points seem to make perfect sense to liberals. Liberals see their acceptance of transgender ideology as a mark of their development as progressives.
I do think part of it is, "This is too complicated for me to understand, so I'll just accept whatever they are saying. Besides, there is now a new minority for me to feel sorry for."
I just recently signed up for their email list. I have also signed up for an organization in my state that leans right wing because they were the only ones fighting a specific bill to criminalize parents for not supporting medicalization. DIAG is probably a better fit for me, and I hope they can make headway. But the temptation to leave the Democratic Party increases as the insanity continues.
To defeat any aspect of the woke cult and its insane ideology, whether it's "gender," "race," or any other of its obsessions, Democrats, Republicans and independent voters who understand the dangers of this cult will need to form a coalition against it. If Democrats continue to be unwilling to work with Republicans and vice-versa, the United States is headed for the scrap heap.
Really inspiring and I hope this organisation grows to become huge. It helps that this person has a background in public health communications - they express the issues very well. (It's a pity they can't yet reach their own child. I hope that changes soon).
This is how gender ideology will end - when a critical mass of the liberal Left sees through the madness.
I am so glad that you did an interview with DIAG, Eliza.
I joined this organization because I am a lifelong Democrat who lost a daughter to the trans cult.
Why do the medical organizations support GAC?
I think the number one reason is that they are a physician lobbying group. Sure, many believe in true trans, they believe in that narrative. But, money. On the recent DIAG X space on legal challenges, an attorney brought up the money trajectory. In 2007 (in the US), zero profits for Big Pharma and gender clinics. This is Year One. Today, it is a billion dollar industry. In a few years, five billion.
The other reason is social--the parents that go along, the mothers that insist it is perfectly normal that their daughters cut off their breasts and are now happy "sons". And this is so widespread that everyone knows a trans or non-binary person in their wider circle of acquaintances. They often feel that they mustn't say anything that will cause offense. Maybe they are thinking it, but they won't say what could be interpreted as "unsupportive".
Meanwhile, we have an even larger group of invisible parents. Raising a hand, here. We are on PITT, we may have joined DIAG, we support Genspect. But we cannot speak publicly--due to trying to maintain or restore a relationship with our child. We are not being paraded by the HRC to see members of congress. When we do contact our Democratic legislators, we are often met with incredulity, as in, what is wrong with us--so many of those other parents have become loud mouthpieces for the trans movement.
Making the Democratic Party the locus of evil here is foolish and wrongheaded and I find it hard to believe that any genuine liberal would endorse such an approach. My politics are based on two things -- a commitment to civil liberties and a social-democratic policy orientation. I can take a heterodox position on a number of particular issues (as I tend to do with several components of the transgender agenda) without losing sight of the main fight -- a more economically just society, with stronger unions, measures that decrease the gap between rich and poor, a robust social safety net, and investments that reduce poverty and increase social mobility. This has been the heart of the Democratic agenda since FDR and it still commands my loyalty.
This is all the more true in 2024, a time when we have to choose between liberalism and authoritarianism. I know the choice I will make -- I will vote Democratic, as I always have. I reject single-issue politics, and I vociferously reject Donald Trump and the Republican party.
My view of transgender issues is shaped by my commitment to civil liberties, above all freedom of thought and speech. Everything is open to debate. Cancel culture must be resisted. Women's voices must be heard and the interests of women and children protected. We need to follow the science and health care must be evidence-based. Our goal should be to bring public opinion (particularly elite opinion) back to these points. Accomplish that, and the politicians will follow. Making the Democratic Party the primary target of our efforts is like taking the wrong off-ramp -- it will make our destination harder to reach.
Is like to join, and if I could also make a humble suggestion, a letter to GLAAD, HRC and the other previously gay and lesbian rights group who have inverted themselves would help your gay and lesbian demographic.
I'm expecting a wild ride when the same smug Democrats who mindlessly went along with this are subject to the same condescending treatment they dole out gratuitously.
I couldn't help but be struck by this line buried among the sampling of comments from people who've joined DIAG:
"And so many more of our gay, bullied, traumatized, and neurodivergent young people will be harmed.”
Bullied and traumatized young people, and some who identify as neurodivergent, ARE by definition harmed, even if they never follow the trans path. To me, it sounds like this person sees youth who've been harmed by others as a fact of life, which unfortunately they are, but also that their pain as a result of those harms is also a fact of life, and that all we can do from them is prevent further harm. This is a huge part of the problem, that we see youth who have been bullied or traumatized or who are suffering due to their particular form of neurodivergence, and we sort of accept their suffering and pain, and just try to prevent further damage. That's a laudable goal of course, but it doesn't go far enough. I've been thinking for some time that if we really want to stop the trans youth trend, we cannot just choke off supply of affirmation. We need to address the demand side, which means we need to find ways to help all people and especially youth, who are hurting. Troubled. Mentally ill. Whatever you want to call it. Unless we do, trans kids will continue to happen because some will buy hormones on the black market, and even those who don't end up trans will end up with other issues: anorexia, drug addiction, cutting and suicide attempts, and so on.
I will join, though I believe the Dems have lost the thread. We will have to provide a thorough, developmentally informed alternative care for cross-sex ideating youth, along with the comprehensive plan for documentation of long term outcomes. The groomers use the shock value of imagining one's own body disconnected from our most intimate parts to gaslight belief in a false and iatrogenic diagnosis. As a triply certified retired NY state educator, I suggest an approach including (1) thorough social history intake (therefore no 1 appt diagnosis), (2) exploration of balance in life for satisfaction/happiness, (3) thorough examination of gaslighting, brainwashing, indoctrination behavior of individuals/groups (4) understandings of habit/routines for mental and physical wellness involving cognitive behavior therapy, anxiety reduction through naturalistic movement/breathing, holistic interventions for post traumatic stress disorder (5) then, when skills are in process, find out whether the patient was sexually/physically abused at an earlier point.
I've noticed that there are a lot of small anti-trans organizations popping up, but I wonder how much impact they will have. Somehow all these small organizations need to be hammered into one great organization which, because of its size, will have some clout. But then, that would mean letting Republicans into our midst, and they have their own craziness.
I've written about this before, but it still confounds me HOW and WHY transgender ideology has so much appeal to liberals. Perhaps liberals watch too many science fiction shows in which people get transformed into this or that, and the star ship's doctor (with his 25th century medicine) can turn a human being into anything at all -- a Klingon into a Romulan into a Vulcan, like turning a pig's ear into a silk purse. There has been too much talk about how a person can be anything he or she wants to be -- but it just isn't true. Human beings are physical creatures, and our bodies tell us who and what we are.
I still remember that argument I had (via email) with a poetry editor who was worried sick about how torturous it was to be a child living in the wrong body. He was completely convinced that such children must be allowed to transition IMMEDIATELY if not sooner, lest they commit suicide. So many of the talking points of trans activists have been accepted as fact by too many people. Most people assume that the activists know what they are talking about and are being honest, but they aren't. They are pushing false ideas meant to fool people, meant to give their little gender revolution a chance. And all those talking points seem to make perfect sense to liberals. Liberals see their acceptance of transgender ideology as a mark of their development as progressives.
I do think part of it is, "This is too complicated for me to understand, so I'll just accept whatever they are saying. Besides, there is now a new minority for me to feel sorry for."
Thank you for introducing your readers to DIAG.
I just recently signed up for their email list. I have also signed up for an organization in my state that leans right wing because they were the only ones fighting a specific bill to criminalize parents for not supporting medicalization. DIAG is probably a better fit for me, and I hope they can make headway. But the temptation to leave the Democratic Party increases as the insanity continues.
To defeat any aspect of the woke cult and its insane ideology, whether it's "gender," "race," or any other of its obsessions, Democrats, Republicans and independent voters who understand the dangers of this cult will need to form a coalition against it. If Democrats continue to be unwilling to work with Republicans and vice-versa, the United States is headed for the scrap heap.
Really inspiring and I hope this organisation grows to become huge. It helps that this person has a background in public health communications - they express the issues very well. (It's a pity they can't yet reach their own child. I hope that changes soon).
This is how gender ideology will end - when a critical mass of the liberal Left sees through the madness.
I am so glad that you did an interview with DIAG, Eliza.
I joined this organization because I am a lifelong Democrat who lost a daughter to the trans cult.
Why do the medical organizations support GAC?
I think the number one reason is that they are a physician lobbying group. Sure, many believe in true trans, they believe in that narrative. But, money. On the recent DIAG X space on legal challenges, an attorney brought up the money trajectory. In 2007 (in the US), zero profits for Big Pharma and gender clinics. This is Year One. Today, it is a billion dollar industry. In a few years, five billion.
The other reason is social--the parents that go along, the mothers that insist it is perfectly normal that their daughters cut off their breasts and are now happy "sons". And this is so widespread that everyone knows a trans or non-binary person in their wider circle of acquaintances. They often feel that they mustn't say anything that will cause offense. Maybe they are thinking it, but they won't say what could be interpreted as "unsupportive".
Meanwhile, we have an even larger group of invisible parents. Raising a hand, here. We are on PITT, we may have joined DIAG, we support Genspect. But we cannot speak publicly--due to trying to maintain or restore a relationship with our child. We are not being paraded by the HRC to see members of congress. When we do contact our Democratic legislators, we are often met with incredulity, as in, what is wrong with us--so many of those other parents have become loud mouthpieces for the trans movement.
No, no, no.
Making the Democratic Party the locus of evil here is foolish and wrongheaded and I find it hard to believe that any genuine liberal would endorse such an approach. My politics are based on two things -- a commitment to civil liberties and a social-democratic policy orientation. I can take a heterodox position on a number of particular issues (as I tend to do with several components of the transgender agenda) without losing sight of the main fight -- a more economically just society, with stronger unions, measures that decrease the gap between rich and poor, a robust social safety net, and investments that reduce poverty and increase social mobility. This has been the heart of the Democratic agenda since FDR and it still commands my loyalty.
This is all the more true in 2024, a time when we have to choose between liberalism and authoritarianism. I know the choice I will make -- I will vote Democratic, as I always have. I reject single-issue politics, and I vociferously reject Donald Trump and the Republican party.
My view of transgender issues is shaped by my commitment to civil liberties, above all freedom of thought and speech. Everything is open to debate. Cancel culture must be resisted. Women's voices must be heard and the interests of women and children protected. We need to follow the science and health care must be evidence-based. Our goal should be to bring public opinion (particularly elite opinion) back to these points. Accomplish that, and the politicians will follow. Making the Democratic Party the primary target of our efforts is like taking the wrong off-ramp -- it will make our destination harder to reach.
Is like to join, and if I could also make a humble suggestion, a letter to GLAAD, HRC and the other previously gay and lesbian rights group who have inverted themselves would help your gay and lesbian demographic.
I'm expecting a wild ride when the same smug Democrats who mindlessly went along with this are subject to the same condescending treatment they dole out gratuitously.
Great conversation. Thank you!
Thank you! Very interesting interview.
I couldn't help but be struck by this line buried among the sampling of comments from people who've joined DIAG:
"And so many more of our gay, bullied, traumatized, and neurodivergent young people will be harmed.”
Bullied and traumatized young people, and some who identify as neurodivergent, ARE by definition harmed, even if they never follow the trans path. To me, it sounds like this person sees youth who've been harmed by others as a fact of life, which unfortunately they are, but also that their pain as a result of those harms is also a fact of life, and that all we can do from them is prevent further harm. This is a huge part of the problem, that we see youth who have been bullied or traumatized or who are suffering due to their particular form of neurodivergence, and we sort of accept their suffering and pain, and just try to prevent further damage. That's a laudable goal of course, but it doesn't go far enough. I've been thinking for some time that if we really want to stop the trans youth trend, we cannot just choke off supply of affirmation. We need to address the demand side, which means we need to find ways to help all people and especially youth, who are hurting. Troubled. Mentally ill. Whatever you want to call it. Unless we do, trans kids will continue to happen because some will buy hormones on the black market, and even those who don't end up trans will end up with other issues: anorexia, drug addiction, cutting and suicide attempts, and so on.
Love this! I’ll gladly join this organization but I will not likely ever support democrat politicians again.
I will join, though I believe the Dems have lost the thread. We will have to provide a thorough, developmentally informed alternative care for cross-sex ideating youth, along with the comprehensive plan for documentation of long term outcomes. The groomers use the shock value of imagining one's own body disconnected from our most intimate parts to gaslight belief in a false and iatrogenic diagnosis. As a triply certified retired NY state educator, I suggest an approach including (1) thorough social history intake (therefore no 1 appt diagnosis), (2) exploration of balance in life for satisfaction/happiness, (3) thorough examination of gaslighting, brainwashing, indoctrination behavior of individuals/groups (4) understandings of habit/routines for mental and physical wellness involving cognitive behavior therapy, anxiety reduction through naturalistic movement/breathing, holistic interventions for post traumatic stress disorder (5) then, when skills are in process, find out whether the patient was sexually/physically abused at an earlier point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRaVv70Gxr4&t=155s
Great piece! Thank you!
It sounds like most of the people who were quoted in the above article may be moms. Is that the case? Are there many dads involved in DIAG?