NSW Greens apologise over anti-trans article in party magazine
Image: The article as it appeared in the NSW Greens members magazine. Photo: Shane Bazzi
The NSW Greens have had to apologise after a trans-exclusionary article was published in its members magazine which questioned the ability of trans women to serve in women’s roles within the party.
The article, titled “sex, gender, women and The Greens,” was written by a member of the party’s Marrickville branch and repeatedly suggested that trans women are not women and asked, “do I have to cop the uncritical agenda that m2f trans people must be regarded as legally, socially and biologically no different from natal women?”
The author, Margot Oliver, went on to write that “performing the societal stereotypes of the other sex does not turn you into the other sex.”
“Feeling that you are the other sex does not turn you into the other sex, nor does surgery.”
Oliver claimed that holding these views did not make her transphobic but did lead her to challenge “a lot of trans politics,” claiming that “there is now ample evidence on the negative consequences for lesbians and other female human beings, that ensue with the current transactivist agenda.”
Yesterday, NSW Greens co-convenor Rochelle Flood and Newtown MP, Jenny Leong issued a statement calling the article “completely unacceptable” and apologised for the article.
“It is completely unacceptable that a transphobic article was published in the latest edition of GreenMail, the Greens’ members internal magazine. We are so sorry this happened,” the apology read.
“We want to stress that the views expressed in this article are entirely inconsistent with Greens principles and our policies on trans rights.
“The views expressed by the author of this article are harmful and should never have been published in a Greens NSW publication. We offer our sincere apologies that this occurred and for the harm caused as a result of this.”
However the group Trans Health Australia wants more than an apology, noting that similar views had been shared inside the Victorian Greens in February, prompting the intervention of Greens Senator Janet Rice.
“Once was bad enough, but now we’ve seen transphobic attitudes in the political party now for a second time,” Trans Health Australia said in an online statement.
“We demand more action, answers and solutions by the Greens to put an end to the discrimination and hate that is spiralling out of control now in Australian media and politics.”
The NSW Greens say they will hold a review into how the article came to be approved and published in its members magazine.
As a Transgender lady, I no longer in good conscience will ever be able to support the Greens political party due to the number of TRANSPHOBIC comments over this calendar year both in Victoria and now here in NSW.
I challenge my Transgender sisters and brothers to also pull your support for this organisation that claims that it’s accepting of The Transgender Community and yet allows behaviours like this sort of thing to happen.
NSW Greens, Labor, One Nation and the LNP are all very homophobic political parties!
Can anyone enlighten me on what “negative consequences for lesbians” actually means in real terms? Any examples? It’s a line we hear but I never hear it explained.