Jared Polis Won’t Say Whether He’ll Use SPLC to Cancel Conservatives

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis did not respond to concerns that his administration would rely on the Southern Poverty Law Center to exclude conservatives from a state program after his office apologized for honoring a gay organization that the SPLC classifies as a “hate group”.

Polis’ signature appeared on a document celebrating the Colorado chapter of Gays Against Groomers, a group of lesbian, gay and bisexual people who oppose experimental medical procedures for transgender children. The SPLC — which strongly supports transgender interventions for children and labels major conservative and Christian organizations “hate groups,” placing them on a map alongside Ku Klux Klan chapters — has labeled Gays Against Groomers an “anti-sex hate group.” LGBTQ” in June.

Colorado State Representative Brandi Bradley, a Republican, paid to fly the Colorado and American flags above the state Capitol on behalf of Gays Against Groomers on October 1.

The program allowed people to purchase honorary flags for just $26. Customers would fill out an online form with their preferred message to appear on a certificate with the state seal and the governor’s signature.

The governor’s office and the administrative agency responsible for the flag program have committed to updating their verification procedures.

“Hate has no place in Colorado, and Governor Polis denounces hate in all its forms,” Polis spokeswoman Shelby Wieman told local NBC News affiliate KUSA-TV. “The administration is taking active internal steps to ensure that more checks are carried out on these types of requests today and in the future.”

Tony Gherardini, executive director of the Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration, apologized for the “unfortunate misstep,” according to a memo to state lawmakers provided to KUSA-TV.

“At the time of the request, (the department) was unaware that Gays Against Grooming (sic) was designated as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and did not do due diligence,” Gherardini wrote. “We are taking internal steps to ensure more thorough verification takes place in the future.”

Gays’ response against zookeepers

“It is wrong that the governor wants to make decisions about who can and cannot have an American flag fly at his own state Capitol,” Rich Guggenheim, head of the Colorado chapter of Gays Against Groomers, told The Daily Signal in a statement Wednesday. fair.

“We hope that as Colorado updates its ‘evaluation’ policies, they will begin to utilize stakeholder feedback and include everyone’s perspectives,” he added. “The SPLC is biased and spreads significant misinformation to line its own pockets and foment hatred and violence against homosexuals that does not align with its ideological agenda against the safety of innocent and still-developing children.”

Polis is the first openly gay man to serve as governor of Colorado.

As I wrote in my book, “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center,” the SPLC gained its reputation by prosecuting Ku Klux Klan groups into bankruptcy, but later caught the program it used to monitor the Klan. and transformed it. into a fundraising tool that also embarrasses his political and ideological opponents. A former SPLC official called the “hate” accusations a “highly profitable fraud,” and critics on both the Right and Left publicly disagreed with the SPLC’s “hate group” accusations.

The SPLC strongly advocates for experimental medical interventions for transgender people, which proponents euphemistically call “gender-affirming care.” There is no conclusive evidence that these interventions improve the lives of those who undergo them, but negative side effects include seizures, cancer in adolescents, increased suicidal thoughts, sterility and reduced sexual function.

Advocates like Gays Against Groomers oppose these medications and surgeries, in part because they believe that those under 18 cannot fully understand the lifelong effects and therefore cannot provide informed consent.

In addition to gender ideology, the SPLC advocates lax enforcement of immigration law and against parental rights in education, among other issues. He uses the “hate map” to demonize groups that oppose his preferred policies.

The “hate group” accusation inspired a 2012 domestic terrorist attack against the Family Research Council in Washington, DC. The SPLC is currently facing a defamation lawsuit that cleared a major legal hurdle last year.

When the SPLC added Gays Against Groomers to its “hate map” this summer, it added four chapters: the group’s headquarters in Milwaukee, and three state chapters, in Missouri, North Carolina and Washington. The Colorado chapter does not appear on the SPLC’s “hate map.”

No response from Polis

The Daily Signal reached out to Polis and Gherardini, requesting comment on the “verification” process and whether Colorado will consider the SPLC’s allegations when determining which groups can fly American and Colorado flags above the state Capitol. The Daily Signal asked how they would respond to criticism that reliance on the SPLC could exclude conservatives based on their views. Neither responded at the time of publication.