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Proposal Details

Proposal ID	980
Proposal	Gender Balance and Non-Binary Inclusion
Presenter	Lavender Caucus
Floor Manager	Margaret Flowers
Phase	Cancelled
Discussion	11/04/2019 - 11/17/2019
Voting	11/18/2019 - 11/24/2019
Presens Quorum	0.6666
Consens Quorum	0.6666 of Yes and No Votes

Background

Quorum is 34 of 50 state parties/caucuses.

The idea of a gender balance guideline was suggested for the Green Party decades ago when women were too often being denied active roles and participation, and organizations were disproportionately run and represented by men. These guidelines were intended to make for more equal balance for two genders. The new concern with gender balance policy is that traditionally only men and women have been considered. Now the Green Party needs to consider the category of Non-binary (NB).

Proposal

Append to Article VII. Ethical Standards of the GPUS Bylaws the following:

7-3 In gendered areas/aspects of the party, such as with elections where gender balance has been a concern, the gender categories will be expanded to be Men/male, Women/female, and Non-binary. This is so that anyone who does not identify as a man or a woman for any reason can run under non-binary status. The Green Party is to hold all genders as being of equal status. That is what gender balance means. Non-binary, women, men are of equal status in the Green Party. None are to be treated as less than others.

7-3.1 Expansion of Gender Categories
Gender balance is only balance if everyone is fully included, everyone gets to be in the conversation and all parties are understood to be equals. Therefore, the Green Party will expand the current idea of two (2) recognized gender categories to be three (3) recognized gender categories. Instead of only Men/male and woman/female, the categories will be Men/male, Women/female and Non-Binary. Anyone who knows themself to be a woman can participate in areas/aspects of the party designated for women, anyone who knows themself to be a man can participate in areas/aspects of the party designated for men, and non-binary people may participate anywhere which they feel reflect themselves in the party. The Non-Binary category will include anyone who is a Green and who does not feel that the labels/categories of man and woman do not fully or accurately reflect their biological sex, their gender identity/identities, or their gender expression/expressions. All three categories are to be completely equal within the Green Party. Women and men are to be seen as equal, and non-binary people are to be equal with women and men. The Green Party will strive toward the full inclusion and equality of Greens of all genders, with the understanding that this is what the meaning of gender balance within the party is supposed to mean.

7-3.2 Gender Diversity Education
While the Lavender Caucus has an understanding of what transgender, intersex, and non-binary are and mean, we must not assume that the entire public understands about the rainbow of gender identities and expressions we know to be in our party. Therefore the entire Green Party should be educated about the following gender definitions so as to be more inclusive and respectful toward Greens who are part of these communities. "Transgender" refers to a person having and/or expressing a gender identity, or identities, which does not necessarily match their assigned sex at birth. "Cisgender" refers to people whose gender identity matches that associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. This includes the term cisgender man or cisman, and cisgender woman or ciswoman for men and women who are not transgender. "Intersex" is the current term used to refer to people who are biologically in-between the medically expected definitions of male and female. This can be through variations in hormones, chromosomes, internal or external genitalia, or any combination of any or all primary and/or secondary sex characteristics. An intersex person may identify and know themself to be of any gender identity or expression. As with other categories/demographics/populations, some intersex people live as women, some live as men, and some live as non-binary. "Chimera" refers to when twins, triplets or other numbers of multiples merge in the womb, resulting in the birth of a composite person. The phenomenon is referred to as chimerism. IF the siblings who merged started out as fraternal siblings of differing sexes, then the person is also intersex, or an intersex chimera. A person who is a chimera may identify as having any gender identity or identities. Some people are only noticed as being chimeras during genetic/paternity/maternity testing, while some have noticeable variations or asymmetries in bodily and/or facial features, some may have duplicate organs, limbs, fingers/toes or other bodily structures. "Non-Binary" (sometimes abbreviated as NB) refers to individuals who identify as neither man or woman, both man and woman, or a combination of man or woman. It is an identity term which some use exclusively, while others may use it interchangeably with terms like genderqueer, gender creative, gender nonconforming, gender diverse, or gender expansive. "Deadnaming" is referring to a person by a name or calling the person by a name the person no longer uses - for example calling a person who was named Michael at birth rather than calling the person by their chosen name (and many times legally changed name) of Mikala. The person's preferred name is always the one which is understood to be their name. "Othering" is the deliberate reference to an individual with a gender identity or usage of terms like "biological," "natural," "real" or any other terms to discriminate.

7-3.3 Green Party statement of affirmation, support and advocacy for sex and gender diversity
The Green Party welcomes people from the entire spectrum of gender diversity and will not discriminate or limit participation in the Green Party based upon a person's gender identify/expression or limit their participation to birth assigned gender categories. The Green Party as a whole will be expected to understand and support the following affirmations of the diversity of biological sex and gender identity/expression. People are not to be disrespected in any way for not conforming to stereotypes about sex characteristics or demanded to fit expectations of being only male or female.

7-3.4 Gender identity/expression
Transgender women are women and will be given the same respect and access in any area/aspect of the Green Party relating to women as all women deserve. Transgender men are men and will be given the same respect and access in any areas/aspects of the Green Party relating to men as all men deserve. Non-binary people will be given the same respect and access in any areas/aspects of the Green Party without gender bias. Transgender people who live as and know themselves to be non-binary will be respected as being non-binary. The Green Party will respect the gender identity of intersex/chimera people.

7-3.5 Appropriate Pronouns/Title Protocol
All individuals are to be called by whichever name they prefer and their preferred pronouns are to be used in referring to them. If one does not state their preferred pronoun or other gender identifiers, it is appropriate to ask. People are not to be deadnamed. No othering. No one is to be held as anything but equal to everyone. There will be no usage of terms like "biological," "natural," "real" or any other terms to differentiate people. Some people do not like to be called cis. This is to be respected.

7-3.6 Respect for Biological Self-Determination
The Green Party respects the bodily self-determination of all people, such as the right to make medical and other decisions about what happens to their bodies with full informed consent. The Green Party opposes nonconsensual surgeries or other medical procedures on intersex and/or chimera people, whether adults, children or babies. The Green Party opposes forcing arbitrary standards of male and female on people to make them fit categories that are obsolete even within the current medical system.

Resources

Append to By-Laws, Article VII upon adoption.

Contact:
Dawn Cronen
269-993-0633
dawn.cronen@hotmail.com

Cynthya BrianKate
thesacredsideshow@gmail.com

References

None

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