Green Party Deputy Leader on being 'gender critical'

[ArabellaScott]

https://thecritic.co.uk/it-isnt-easy-being-a-gender-critical-green/

'The Deputy Leader of the Green Party Zack Polanski also thinks people with gender critical views aren’t welcome in the party. He’s made it clear that “those members who claim that trans women are men and trans men are women – should not have a place in the Greens.”'

Quoting this interview from earlier this year:

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/03/zack-polanski-interview-transphobia-is-not-welcome-in-the-green-party/

'... he says that the small number of members who take a contrary view to the party’s policies on trans rights – specifically those members who claim that trans women are men and trans men are women – should not have a place in the Greens. He says: “I’m really clear that if you want to misgender someone then that is transphobic and transphobia is not welcome in the Green Party.”'

sounds like potential discrimination, to me.

I'd also add that saying a 'small number' of members are 'gender critical' is a deliberate distortion.

An account of further allegations of discrimination within the party:

'Does the party discriminate against, harass, or victimise gender critical members? That was something that Green Party Women (GPW) set out to find out. In August, GPW held a special meeting inviting members to describe their experiences of holding gender critical views in the party. What followed was a harrowing litany of accounts from women (and a few men) who had faced waves of abuse and harassment for expressing their honestly held (and to most people uncontroversial) beliefs. These women have faced insults, threats, censorship, deselection, and expulsion. Equality and Diversity officers in the party were told they couldn’t set up groups to hear differing views because that would be “transphobic”. People with inside knowledge of party committees told of how the processes had been abused in order to target GC members. One member even described being physically assaulted at multiple conferences. Many struggled to hold back tears as they told of the abuse they had received from fellow Greens despite years of loyal membership.'

There's lots in this article. I'm just picking out some of the most pertinent bits:

'Chesca Walton, one of the co-chairs of Green Party Women, was to tweet: “Expressing Gender Critical views is transphobia. Like any form of hatred, transphobia has no place in a modern political party“.

• a reminder that 'gender critical views' are protected in law. You can't discriminate against someone for holding them anymore than you can discriminate against someone for being Christian, Jewish or Muslim.

@ArabellaScott I've just posted the article on the Shahrir Ali thread! I enjoyed reading it. I'm glad it's got it's own thread.

I found it horribly depressing! And alarming. So many good people within the Greens have been working really hard, for years, to try and keep it on course to stand up for environmental concerns, and they are getting torn to pieces.

The author links to a document he claims is legal advice given to the GP over 'gender critical views'.

This hadn't been verified by the GP.

I'm just checking - the solicitors who appear to have signed the document/legal advice linked in the article do say they work for the Green Party.

'We back grassroots groups and act for the Green Party.'

https://bateswells.co.uk/sectors/sustainability-charities-and-ngos/

It would be good to hear from the GP itself whether the document is what the author claims it is.

That article made me want to rejoin the Green Party so that I can be one of those gender critical ‘transphobes’ that some want rid of.

Change from within?

Bates Wells is a big law firm.

It doesn’t seem to occur to them that by insisting on one scientifically invalid ‘fact’ (however socially and politically trendy it is ) , they might be casting their other ‘scientifically based’ statements into doubt.

Indeed.

And also giving the impression that the climate emergency isn't all that urgent as they play identity politics games.

For some in the party, this issue is more important than even fighting climate change. One prominent young member tweeted: “Getting rid of transphobes from the green party is my priority. More than literally anything else…”

Always worth remembering how the Green party failed to act on serious concerns about a convicted paedophile & his various enablers in the party - including a ironically a candidate for their Deputy Leader post. Apologies for the Guardian link:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/12/green-party-failed-to-properly-investigate-child-abuser-report

Link to the investigation into the Green Party's actions about this including a number of recommendations to rectify their safeguarding failures:

https://www.verita.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/green-party-report-web-publication-1.pdf

Yes, they have a history of ignoring expert advice in favour of gender ideology.

This point, from the purported legal advice, is interesting, in its phrasing:

'18. In order to lawfully apply a PCP that disadvantages members with gender critical beliefs, the Green Party would need to be able to demonstrate that the application of the PCP was prescribed by its constitution and relevant policies/procedures and “necessary in a democratic society” “for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others” and proportionate i.e. had regard to the need for a fair balance between the rights of all members affected.'

PCP? Please? Obvs not Pivate Car Park...

'provision, criterion, or practice (PCP) (e.g. a policy or procedure)'

“'Chesca Walton, one of the co-chairs of Green Party Women, was to tweet: “Expressing Gender Critical views is transphobia. Like any form of hatred, transphobia has no place in a modern political party“.

That quote just demonstrates how much they are behaving like a religious cult. That sentence basically equates to “Expressing atheist views is heresy. Like any form of aspotasy, heresy has no place in our church.”

It also shows how meaningless the word “transphobia” is. Describing disagreement on a theory / concept / viewpoint/ political position as hatred is what should have no place in a modern political party.

Yep. The upcoming court cases can't come fast enough.

There are some amazing women in the Green Party trying to stand firm against this discrimination. They are attacked at every meeting they hold and are trapped on the defensive.

The question is can they hold out long enough for the rest of the party to wake up to what’s going on. I don’t know if I want to call it, as so many in the party are wedded to the ‘left wing’ narrative of social justice and truly believe they are the good guys.

I’m a member and trying to help, but I struggle to commit enough time to be effective. I couldn’t make it down to Brighton for the conference.

so fortunate that the Green Party don’t have anything more pressing to worry about at the moment (like the September global temperature figures, or the diminishing Antarctic icesheet)

For those who know wonderful women in the GP, might it be time to leave & set up something saner? I’m in

so they're proudly declaring themselves to be a party only for male supremacists? OK then. some people can't see their arse foe their privileged elbow.

Nobody with a grip on reality, or who is unwilling to speak any lies they are ordered to by the privileged, is welcome in the Green Party.

Yep. Got it thanks.

<steps carefully away>

Nothing will make me vote Tory though. Out of all the parties, at least the Green Party stand for the environment.

And lies, and deceit and identified reality.

What might they insist you have to believe in next? And they used to identify as believing in biology and women not long ago, how long will it be before they move on from standing from the environment to insisting that they won't tolerate any member mentioning global warming?

Rule one of nutjobs: do not put them in charge of running a till at Tesco, never mind a country.