Scottish Greens to debate cutting ties with Green Party of England and Wales
This October, at the Scottish Green Party Conference in Dundee, party members will debate a motion which would see the party cut its ties with the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW). The motion has been submitted by Beth Douglas – co-convenor of the Scottish Greens LGBT+ group, the Rainbow Greens – and claims that office holders of GPEW have engaged in “in transphobic rhetoric and conduct”.
The motion calls for the Scottish Greens to suspend the “formal association” between the two Green Parties, and for this to continue until effective action has been taken to “address both issues of transphobia and respect for the Scottish Green Party”.
Douglas told Bright Green they wanted the motion to trigger action from GPEW on anti-trans discrimination within the party. They said, “I hope that this message is the reality check needed to encourage the appropriate action to heal the Green Party of England and Wales, make up for its past complicity on transphobia and be clear going forward a culture war that pits women, trans people and the wider LGBT+ movement against each other will not help save the planet.”
Douglas went on to contrast the Scottish Greens’ and the Green Party of England and Wales’ records on trans rights. They said,
We realise that high profile Green anti-trans politicians will deflect and say that they just back reality, that it isn’t transphobic to believe in sex. But trans people do believe in sex, if we didn’t most of us wouldn’t take HRT or undergo surgery to change our sex characteristics. Most trans people want body autonomy to live a normal life but there are green party representatives that wish to take that away in an era where it is already being taken away for millions of people in America.
The Scottish Greens have been doing things differently and are in Government. Rent controls, buffer zones, gender recognition reform, a complete ban on conversion therapy, free bus travel for young people and more are now becoming reality because of the Scottish Greens. We got there by believing diversity is strength and that a diverse movement is the biggest weapon we have against climate change.
Image credit: Ric Lander – Creative Commons
Scotland does not use the same system for electing M.P.s as in House of Commons. They have the ‘Additional Member System’. It is dishonest of Beth Douglas not to mention this when she says Scottish Greens do better than English and Welsh Grens.
you have you own way on policies? so what do you want? I can only think you want to expel people who dont agree with the policies? to interogate and bully even those who keep quite about there disagreement? this is with out precendent in any kind of democratic politics in history.. to not only want to win but to want total agreement…and to want people to show they agree..
And if the scottish greens coalition with the snp which is an undemocratic authoritariaan movement with aims that will harm ordinairy people which will destroy the green movement through out this island….
Imagine if the Green Party of England and Wales started dictating to Scottish Greens who they could and could not elect to office…
Fair play Scottish Greens. The Welsh party has lessons to learn from you. We achieved a groundswell of support in Cardiff with a progressive manifesto and minimal central support. While ‘debate’ over trans peoples bodily autonomy rages, trans and LGBTQ+ people are being harmed. And the GPEW can’t win if we’re questioning the autonomy of members who deserve more than support in the face of a violent society. Solidarity with all trans, non binary, and LGBTQ+ members requires action, and I applaud your steps here.