A: Background A.1. “Censure” is a resolution involving the condemnation and official reprimand of an individual member of a democratic assembly. According to Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, censure is an exception to the general rule that "a motion must not use language that reflects on a member's conduct or character, or is discourteous, unnecessarily harsh, or not allowed in debate."[E.1.] Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure notes, censure “is a reprimand, aimed at reformation of the person and prevention of further offending acts."[E.2.] A.2. “Removal” is a resolution involving a binding action to remove a serving Delegate or Party Officer from their position before the end of their normal term. A justification for removal is credible allegations of rule-breaking causing a need to limit liability to the whole organization due to the actions of an individual member. Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised states “A deliberative assembly has the inherent right to make and enforce its own laws and punish an offender, the extreme penalty, however, being expulsion from its own body.”[E.1.] A.3. The Maryland Green Party Bylaws offer no restrictions on the MGP Coordinating Council’s power to Censure or Remove Delegates and Party Officers. The MGP Bylaws, Article 7 Coordinating Council, Paragraph 1 states “The Coordinating Council... shall conduct all MGP business between MGP Assemblies.”[E.3.] B: Platform B.1. The Green Party of the United States (GPUS) supports “full legal and political equality for all persons regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity, characteristics, and expression.”[E.4.] B.2. The Maryland Green Party (MGP) supports a “full recognition of the civil rights of sexual and gender minorities” and the “prohibition of discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity, characteristics, and expression.”[E.5.] B.3. The Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States Statement on the “Dialogue not Expulsion” group says “We remind all Greens that gender identity and gender expression were part of our foundational Platform in 2000 and affirmed again in 2018 by the overwhelming vote of the National Committee.” The statement also announces “the views and positions of the ‘Dialogue not Expulsion’ group are fundamentally at odds with our Party's foundational platform and the 10 Key Values of the Green Party of the United States.”[E.6.] C: Rules C.1. The Maryland Green Party Bylaws under Article 5 Rules of Order and Process, Paragraph 3 Accountability and Dissent state, “Any member may disagree with and work against MGP policy as long as the member is not acting as a representative or delegate of the MGP.”[E.3.] C.2. The GPUS Rules and Procedures contain guidelines that govern the behavior of National Committee Delegates. Specifically relevant is Article 9: GPUS National Committee Listserv Protocols and Policies, Section 3: Posting Guidelines, Paragraph D: Tone: “Insults, name-calling, sexist/sexual, racist, homophobic, or otherwise demeaning or degrading comments will not be tolerated. … Hateful, abusive, and threatening language are prohibited.”[E.7.] D: Issues D.1. On February 14, 2021, Delegate Tim Willard of the Maryland Green Party contributed a message into official record via the Email Listserv of the National Committee of the Green Party US that did not adhere to the GPUS Rules and Procedures and is fundamentally at odds with the platform of the MGP and GPUS.[E.8.] Delegate Tim Willard then defended their position in the National Committee Listserv, continuing to disregard the rules and their role as a Delegate.[E.9.] D.2. On May 31, 2021, Margaret Elisabeth, Co-Chair of the National Lavender Greens Caucus (NLGC), sent an email to the Maryland Green Party with the subject “National Lavender Green Caucus re: Tim Willard”. The NLGC Co-Chair writes, “Based on the conduct on the National Committee Discussion list it is the opinion of the NLGC that Tim Willard should be immediately removed from all positions of responsibility within the Green Party, national, state, local, and be ineligible to occupy any such positions for a minimum of one year.” The NLGC Co-Chair continues, “His conduct endangered the good reputation of the GPUS and GPMD, and all affiliated entities, and very likely could be used to demonstrate that a ‘hostile work environment’ exists for anyone employed by either….”[E.10.] D.3. On May 31, 2021, Andy Ellis, National Committee Delegate of Maryland Green Party, sent an email to the Listserv of Maryland Green Party Coordinating Council (MGP CC) with the subject “More information on Tim”. Delegate Andy Ellis shares a direct exchange with Delegate Tim Willard where Delegate Tim Willard discloses he is resigning as Co-Chair of the MGP because of “Anti-feminist thinking” in both the GPUS and MGP. Delegate Tim Willard also claims “… males trying to call themselves female is rape against all women.” Delegate Tim Willard explains his position, that is contradictory to the GPUS and MGP platform, further: “Tim Willard: What part don't you understand? That lesbians have been raped by trans women? Andy Ellis: There are rapists in every demographic. I don't understand why that is relevant to the conversation going on in the NC Tim Willard: Can you condemn the rapists or is that political incorrecr? Andy Ellis: You can surely condemn rapists. Tim Willard: Please do so Andy Ellis: Is anyone defending rapists? Tim Willard: The trans community is denying the problem, calling feminists terfs”[E.11.] E: References E.1. Robert, Henry M.; et al. (2011). Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-306-82020-5. E.2. Demeter, George (1969). Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure, Blue Book, p. 260 (Demeter) E.3. https://www.mdgreens.org/bylaws E.4. https://www.gp.org/transgender E.5. https://www.mdgreens.org/mgp_affirms_green_party_of_the_us_position_on_sexual_orientation_and_ gender_identity E.6. https://www.gp.org/steering_committee_of_the_green_party_of_the_united_states_statement_on_the_d ialogue_not_expulsion_group E.7. https://gpus.org/rules-procedures/#09-03 E.8. Contents of Email 1 from National Committee Listserv Archives: Feb 14, 2021, 6:31 PM Tim Willard via Natlcomaffairs: "Enjoy my ladydick in your mouth, cuntwipe," See, this is the problem that lesbians have with some (not all) trans men/women, Lesbians don't do penises, whether they are male penises or female penises. Tim Willard GPMD delegate E.9. Contents of Email 2 from National Committee Listserv Archives: Feb 14, 2021, 7:24 PM Tim Willard via Natlcomaffairs: That was a trans male/female comment. Lesbians have been the victims if they refuse a date with a trans. Some have been doxxed, attacked, raped for refusing to date a person with a penis. This needs to be part of the discussion, Tim Willard GPMD Delegate E.10. Contents of Email 4 from Maryland Green Party Coordinating Council Listserv Archives: To: mgp-cc@googlegroups.com Monday, May 31st, 2021 at 4:58 PM Hello Coordinating Council, Please read the statement from the National Lavender Greens Caucus below regarding Delegate Tim Willard. Thank you, Matt Hand PG Greens -------- Original Message -------- On May 31, 2021, 2:50 PM, Margaret Elisabeth < margaretelisabeth@outlook.com> wrote: To Maryland Green Party Co-Chairs and to Whom It May Concern, Based on the conduct on the National Committee Discussion list it is the opinion of the NLGC that Tim Willard should be immediately removed from all positions of responsibility within the Green Party, national, state, local, and be ineligible to occupy any such positions for a minimum of one year. The conduct he displayed, as a representative of the GPMD to the NC, in a public forum, was unprofessional and transphobic in the extreme, "vile and disgusting" is an appropriate description, and indicates a lack of judgment that utterly disqualifies him from filling any leadership or functional role within the party (or any other credible organization). His conduct endangered the good reputation of the GPUS and GPMD, and all affiliated entities, and very likely could be used to demonstrate that a "hostile work environment" exists for anyone employed by either, especially in light of the fact that he has yet to be removed from the position he occupied when making that statement. Subsequent to that period, any restoration to a leadership or functional position should be conditioned on his completion of a sensitivity training course inclusive of gender diversity components, accompanied by a positive evaluation from the training instructor, and a unanimous statement of confidence in his future conduct by the steering committee of GPMD. Regards, ~Margaret Elisabeth Co-Chair, National Lavender Green Caucus They/Them E.11. Contents of Email 5 from Maryland Green Party Coordinating Council Listserv Archives: From:Andy Ellis To: mgp-cc@googlegroups.com Subject: [mgp-cc] More information on Tim Date: Monday, May 31st, 2021 at 6:37 PM I think it may be worthwhile to add these two documents to the proposal. They show the conversations that occurred the night that Tim resigned and the conversations he and I had after that. In the first one it is worth noting that Tim says he is leaving because of the Blind one sided ideology and the anti feminist thinking of the green party. In the second it is worth noting that he doesn't care if the attempt to hold him accountable for his transphobic comments rips the state party apart. Finally I think everybody should pay attention to Tim's claim that he and Mary both belive that "Males trying to call themselves female is rape againt all women" This is a core belief of the "evidence" and "research" Tim shared(Angela Wild, Lesbians at Ground Zero) in order to back up us transphobic assertion that "we must discuss" the problem of "Trans men/women" raping women. These are not the words of someone who slipped up and said something untoward. These are the words of someone steeped in a dangerous anti green philosophy called "gender critical femisnim". It is a philosophy that is antagonistic to the existence of trans gender people and is the kind of thing that has earned the condemnation of the GPUS Steering Committee and diversity committee and has been condemned by the Young Eco-Scoialist Caucus, the National Women's Caucus and the National Green Lavender Caucus as antithetical to beliefs and values. The "Gender Critical" "feminists" see their philosophy as interchangeable with "Trans-Exclusionary feminism" often suggesting that one phrase be swapped out for the other. At some point as a state party we need to account for the reality we are being presented with and hold accountable the people who represent us while spouting this anti-trans philsophy. Once that is done we need to discuss what accountability looks like for Virginia who has done everything possible in her role as co-chair to divert and deflect our focus from that and to enable the continued harm that comes from it. There is a bibliography of articles attached that explain the way that this specific philosophy operates against our core principals( i have shared many of these before as have others but each time Tim has deflected in order to avoid accounting for his ideas, words and actions) Finally, I am always happy to have a philosophical debate, but as a party we Must have some shared values, and those values do not include the trans exclusive feminism that Tim believes in. We should hold our national delegates who represent us on the national committee of the green party and our elected officers to a high standard to adhere to our values, and when they demonstrate open defiance of those values AS OUR REPRESENTATIVES we must take some form of action. More Conversation with Tim The Night Tim Resigned Trans inclusive feminist articles -- Andy Ellis Delegate to the National Committee Maryland Green Party

F.process

As per Maryland Green Party decision-making process, the vote will be open for 7 days. Passage requires 2/3rds of yes and no votes, and voting options are "yes", "no" and "abstain".