Green Party of the United States

Getting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
Queer, Intersex, Asexual Justice & Equality Right

July 2020 News

Announcement Concerning the Recall of Cathi Woodward

Fellow Lavender Greens and Green Party members, as of July 30, 2020 Cathi Woodward has been recalled from her position as Co-Chair of the National Lavender Green Caucus. She has also been recalled from her position as National Delegate for the National Lavender Green Caucus and recalled from all other positions to which she was elected as a representative of the National Lavender Green Caucus to the National Committee. She has also been suspended from the National Lavender Green Caucus for 1 year and may not participate in our official communication channels until 30 July 2021 at the earliest.

June 2020 News

From June 14th - June 20th The National Lavender Green Caucus held it's Presidential Nominating Convention and Local Candidate Endorsement.    We used Scottish Transferable Vote which is a form of Ranked Choice Voting provided by OpaVote to conduct our election.  The election results were verified by the Secretary, Colin Bartlett and Co-Chair, Margaret Elisabeth and published on June 21, 2020.

You can go here to see the full results, count the ballots yourself, and generally play with the data as you wish.
 

The results are:

Hunter Crow has WON our endorsement for Arlington City Council District 7!

Robin Lauraine has WON our endorsement for  Michigan State University Board of Trustees!

For the Presidential Candidates:

Howie Hawkins won a majority outright, with 51.2% of the vote. 

Dario Hunter came in on a very narrow second place with 42.5% of the vote.

David Rolde and Sedinam Moyowasifza-Curry each won 2.5% of the vote. 

When David Rolde and Sedinam Moyowasifza-Curry are eliminated in the second round, their voters go to both Hawkins and Hunter, although Hunter receives the majority of them:

Howie Hawkins would now have 52.5%.

Dario Hunter would now have 46.25%

Because we are apportioned four delegates, these delegates will be split between Howie Hawkins and Dario Hunter, with each receiving two delegates at  the GPUS National Convention.

In May 2020

Statement on the killing of George Floyd


The late Bayard Rustin once said, "Let us be enraged about injustice, but let us not be destroyed by it."
We witness injustice all around us and on a Monday in late May injustice destroyed George Floyd in the streets of Minneapolis.

The video of Floyds death is horrific and terrible but not unusual in the United States. George Floyd became another victim of racially motivated police brutality which we see being repeated over and over again across the United States. It should not be a death sentence to be Black in America. Our system has failed to address this crisis of racially motivated police violence in any meaningful sense.

The National Lavender Green Caucus condemns the action by Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, which resulted in the death of George Floyd. The National Lavender Green Caucus condemns the other officers on the scene, Officers Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng for their failure to act.

The loss of George Floyd resonates with the LGBTQIA+ community since just yesterday Tony McDade was murdered by Tallahassee police before being misgendered by the media. The most vulnerable and powerless in our society are subjected to the onslaught of police brutality which is why we stand alongside the Black community and the National Black Caucus. As Robin Harris, Co-Chair of the NBC and Co-Chair of the Florida Green Party, says “we must build strong coalitions, advocacy groups, and elect legislators who will prioritize ending the brutal lynchings and killing of Black and Brown bodies at the hands of the government at all levels. We must hold governments and police departments accountable.”

Signed,

Margaret Elisabeth – Co-Chair National Lavender Green Caucus
AJ Reed – Media Spokesperson National Lavender Green Caucus

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The National Lavender Green Caucus is grateful for the strong and unequivocal support of the National Women's Caucus which we received this evening, 13 May 2020.

Dear Greens,

The National Women’s Caucus affirms our support of the Green Party platform section concerning Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. We support our colleagues in the Lavender Caucus in achieving and defending these rights. Our caucus policy is that transgender women are women. We do not support the division and oppression of one oppressed group by further oppressing another.

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The Lavender Caucus is proud to announce it's unanimous endorsement of Mike Gamms for Congress NY27

From the National Lavender Green Caucus – 17 May 2020

Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. A day like this is a reminder that we still have to ask the open-ended question:  How far have we come?

There have been significant milestones across the international stage from Pride Parade in Uganda  to Argentina, sentencing Gabriel David Marino to life in prison for the hate crime of murdering a trans person.

However, the violence towards our community is still ongoing. Half of the globe still considers the LGBTQIA+ community to be criminals and will put one of us in prison or give us the death penalty simply for being who we are. Twenty-five countries forbid the formation, establish, or registration of  a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that focuses on issues related to sexual orientation or LGBTQIA+ rights. UNESCO reported that 85% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students experience homophobic and transphobic violence in school, 45% of transgender students drop out. Homophobic violence also targets 33% of students who are wrongly perceived to be LGBT because they do not appear to conform to gender norms. 

These are not the only forms of violence that are carried out. Systemic violence has affected our community, which has constrained us from meeting basic needs and achieving the quality of life that would otherwise be possible. Racism, sexism, nationalism, ethnocentrism, and classism have ways been at the intersections of our community since our inception. Our social institutions, to this day, reinforce systemic violence in health and human services, schools, public spaces, housing, and workplace.

We cannot turn a blind eye on the violence in our community. People in the LGBTQIA+ community often reinforce the patterns of violence and oppression that they encounter in broader society in the forms of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault. We need to hold ourselves accountable and our community accountable, understanding the intersectional systemic oppressions which manifest in our community in unique ways is the first step to doing so. 

Our community has come along way, though we still have a long way to go to overcome the violence that we face globally.   It can be difficult to feel as if you are standing alone in society without friends, support or protection.  The National Lavender Green Caucus wants you to know that you are *NOT* alone and you have support in many places.   Our work is clear and the challenge significant so let's see how far we come next year.

All the best on this day,

The National Lavender Green Caucus

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In April 2020

In a show of strong moral character and ethical conviction, the Pennsylvania Green Party issued a stirring endorsement of the Lavender Greens in our dispute with the Georgia Green Party.

PA Greens support Lavender Greens on Gender Affirmation

By Tre Schumacher.

   On March 22, delegates to the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org) spring convention voted to support the Lavender Greens’ objection to the recent actions of the Georgia Green Party (GGP, georgiagreenparty.org). This support had been requested by Vice-chair Garret Wassermann of the Green Party of Allegheny County, who had objected to homophobic language in a GGP statement.

      In December 2019, the GGP endorsed the Declaration on the Sex-Based Rights of Women from the Women’s Human Rights Campaign (WHRC), which is a trans-exclusionary feminist organization, meaning they are feminists who do not recognize transgender women as women. Rather, they recognize women based on sex rather than on gender or gender identity.

      The WHRC claims women’s rights have been achieved on the basis of sex and any attempt to incorporate gender identity into international human rights documents or national law is an undermining of women’s rights.  According to the WHRC, gender identity undermines women’s rights as it “makes socially constructed stereotypes, which organize and maintain women’s inequality, into essential and innate conditions” and allows men to claim they are women in law, policies, and practices.

      Lavender Greens (www.lavendergreens.net), a caucus of the Green Party of the U.S. (GPUS, www.gp.org), which is concerned with issues surrounding the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA) community, disapproved of the GGP’s endorsement.  According to the Lavender Greens, the Declaration on the Sex-Based Rights of Women “is a document intended to deny trans people their bodily autonomy and freedom of expression, against the advice of the vast majority of medical professionals and LGBT advocacy organizations.”  Lavender Greens further demanded that the Georgia Greens revoke its endorsement of the WHRC’s declaration, write a formal apology to transgender members of the GPUS, and committ themselves and their members to learning about gender affirmation.

      The Lavender Greens then wrote a statement to the National Committee of GPUS, asking for immediate accountability from the National Committee and specifically, for GPUS to dissaccredit and disavow the Georgia Greens if the GGP does not meet the three demands.

      The GGP’s endorsement and Lavender Greens’ response were discussed at GPPA’s spring convention.  After discussion, GPPA Treasurer Tim Runkle, who is also the Green Party’s candidate for PA Treasurer, moved to support the Lavender Greens’ statement as-is. The motion was seconded by Garret Wassermann, who is also the Green Party candidate for PA House District 45, and passed by the delegates.

      Wasserman later commented, “To fully support the Green Party's 10 Key Values, we must celebrate diversity and be inclusive and welcoming to all genders and sexual orientations, including non-binary and transgender folks who still face misunderstandings in society and even sometimes violent transphobia. The trans-exclusionary language approved by the GGP was very concerning, and I hope that Georgia Greens will engage in dialogue with members of the Lavender Caucus and Greens elsewhere in the party to better understand why the language is not compatible with Green values.”

      To join the Green Party Lavender Caucus, please visit https://www.lavendergreens.net/join. To join the Green Party of Pennsylvania, please visit https://www.gpofpa.org/join_us.

Tre Schumacher is a member of the Green Party of Pennsylvania steering committee and recording secretary of the Green Party of Philadelphia. The Green Party of PA (GPPA, https://www.gpofpa.org/) is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party’s four pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org or email [email protected].  Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

For more information, please see:

Georgia Green Party. (2019). A Resolution of the Coordinating Council of the Georgia Green Party,  https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.13/f90.8ee.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Declaration_on_Sex_Based_Rights_of_Women-provide_for_party_endorsement-as_passed.pdf;

Lavender Greens. (2020). National Lavender Green Caucus Call for Justice and Reconciliation with the Georgia Green Party, https://greenparty.good.do/lavgreensjusticereconciliation/lavgreensjusticereconciliation/?v=40cfcdf5 and

Women’s Human Rights Campaign. (2019). Declaration on the Sex-Based Rights of Women from the Women’s Human Rights Campaign: Summary. https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.13/f90.8ee.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Declaration_on_Womens_Sex_Based_Rights_2019-summary.pdf.

See the Full PAGP statement here: https://www.gpofpa.org/pa_greens_support_lavender_greens_on_gender_affirmation?fbclid=IwAR0hKi8KXv0VQidMKzt12OpLtbMtkb_5ctJjpHXkK1ew0m8FEBZL5WUgP4w

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National Lavender Green Caucus Elections, April 2020

This has been a very exciting year for the Lavender Caucus! It started with a special election called late last year to fill committee and officer positions that were opened from resignations. From that point, the team started building and the caucus interest and membership started rising, slowly at first.

Then Georgia happened.

Our caucus became focused and highly energized. Once our Caucus saw leadership take the forefront to defend the well defined positions of Social Justice, Non-Violence and Grassroots Democracy, engagement increased significantly with both volunteers and new members.

Our regular elections this spring saw more participation and candidates than ever!  We are proud to announce a whole new level of engagement for the NLGC with committee members for almost every subcommittee of the National Committee, including candidates for those that are elected by the National Committee.

We are excited to announce a leadership team that includes both deep experience in the party and fresh faces to bring new ideas and energy.

Starlene Rankin brings her breadth and depth of knowledge for another term as Treasurer.

Colin Bartlett has stepped up to the plate to bring new energy to the integral position of Secretary.

Cathi Woodward after serving previously as Co-Chair, has won a full term as Co-Chair.

Margaret Elisabeth, our current Co-Chair, moves from Observer to Alternate Delegate.

Cathi Woodward moved from alternate to voting Delegate on the NC.

AJ Reed and Margaret Elisabeth bring fresh perspectives to the position of Media Spokesperson.

We congratulate all of our election winners and look forward to our future together to bring our energy to the Green Party of the United States.

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In February 2020

On Saturday February 22, The Georgia Green Party published a statement endorsing the The Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights.

While couched in statements about protecting children and women’s rights, it is a document intended to deny trans people their bodily autonomy and freedom of expression. This is an extremely alarming turn for a state Green Party that demands immediate accountability from the National Committee.

National Lavender Green Caucus present the following demands:

1. Green Party of Georgia must rescind its endorsement of the Declaration.
2. A formal, written apology to the transgender and gender nonconforming members of the Green Party of the United States who have been alienated by this transphobic statement. In this apology the Green Party of Georgia will commit to centering trans people who have the relevant experience and are directly affected by gender affirmation policy before issuing a statement about that policy.
3. Green Party of Georgia will also commit to educating themselves and their membership about the necessity of gender affirmation to protect the lives of trans youth and trans adults. Any member of the Green Party of Georgia Coordinating Committee who does not undergo this training must resign.

If these demands cannot be met by the Green Party of Georgia, then the Green Party of Georgia must be disaccredited and disavowed by the Green Party of the United States.

Contact us at [email protected]

Our video response:

https://youtu.be/D8i2WJDnlRU

Our Petition for submission to the National Committee:

https://greenparty.good.do/lavgreensjusticereconciliation/lavgreensjusticereconciliation/