I’ve been a member of the Scottish Green Party since early 2014; for various reasons I hadn’t felt it important enough to nail my political colours to the mast before then. One thing I love about the party is its commitment to fairness, equality and inclusivity. As a trans woman, I was so pleased to hear co-convenor Patrick Harvie voicing his strong support for trans people yesterday morning, and to hear the party conference responding enthusiastically.
The party’s LGBTQ+ group, the Rainbow Greens, met yesterday to discuss a motion that would be raised this morning, reaffirming the party’s longstanding stance of supporting trans people. I was nevertheless somewhat nervous about what would happen when it came to the debate.
I needn’t have worried. Although there were speeches against the motion and an amendment proposed, these were of a largely technical nature, and I’m pleased to say that the motion was passed with near-unanimous support. It was an emotionally draining session for me, though, so I had to sit out the next plenary; I could hear rapturous applause for the keynote guest speaker from where I was sitting outside the auditorium.
Here is what the Scottish Green Party conference agreed:
Transpositivity and the Scottish Green Party
Within the past month, transphobic and trans-exclusionary rhetoric has dramatically increased across the media. Notable public figures, outwith our party, have expressed this rhetoric while claiming their devotion to the cause of Green politics. The Scottish Green Party believes that this is wrong: Green politics cannot be reconciled with discrimination on the basis of gender. For this reason, the Conference of the Scottish Green Party takes this opportunity to publicly reaffirm our commitment to trans positivity, and to reiterate our welcome to people of every (including no) gender.
The Scottish Green Party affirms the human, moral, and legal right to determine one’s own gender. The Scottish Green Party affirms that trans women are women, trans men are men, and that all genders (or lack thereof) are inherently valid. The Scottish Green Party requires that all members of the party accept the gender determined by each individual. The Scottish Green Party regards refusal to do so as transphobia, and affirms that any behaviour which demonstrates transphobia is trans-exclusionary.
Therefore, the Conference of the Scottish Green Party instructs all relevant party bodies to enshrine within the members’ Code of Conduct the clear, unambiguous requirement for respect of all genders and their self-determination. The Conference of the Scottish Green Party further instructs all relevant party bodies to ensure that violation of this requirement, particularly with regard to transphobia and trans-exclusion, shall be a serious, actionable offence under the party’s Complaints Procedure.
Finally, the Conference of the Scottish Green Party affirms that transphobic or trans-exclusionary individuals of any kind are not welcome as members of the Scottish Green Party.
If you find my blog informative, inspiring or entertaining, or if you attach any other positive value to it, please consider tipping me on Ko-fi, so that I can maintain my essential coffee habit and continue writing.