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Lavender Greens Caucus Releases Statement Opposing War on Iraq. |
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MEDIA RELEASE: Tuesday, January 7, 2003 Contacts: LAVENDER GREEN CAUCUS RELEASES A STATEMENT
OPPOSING WAR ON IRAQ WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Lavender Green Caucus of the Green Party of the United States recently adopted and released a strongly worded position statement opposing President Bush's planned invasion of Iraq. The caucus, representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people in the Green Party, stressed the special dangers that the war would pose to human rights in general and the hypocrisy of the Defense Department's discriminatory 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. "In November, the U.S. Army fired nine linguists, including six trained in Arabic, for being gay -- at a time when translators might be most valuable in everything from negotiation to intelligence," said Brandon Lacy Campos, a Minnesota Green and caucus member. "But quite often, the military suspends its discharge of gay personnel during wartime. In other words, queer soldiers are prohibited from peacetime careers, but may serve as cannon fodder during a war." According to Coit Blacker and Lawrence J. Korb in The New York Times on January 13, 1999, "If homosexuals undermined unit cohesion [as defenders of the military bias have charged], then discharges of gay soldiers should increase in wartime, when cohesion is most important. Precisely the opposite is true.... During the Persian Gulf war the Pentagon issued a 'stop-loss' order preventing discharges on the basis of gay orientation until after the fighting was over." (Reference) "Make no mistake -- American soldiers, gay and straight alike, will serve as cannon fodder in George W. Bush's bid to topple Saddam Hussein and gain control over Iraqi oil reserves," added Lacy Campos, who drafted the statement. "The Administration's policies are not only hypocritical and stupid (in the case of the fired Army linguists), but show complete disregard for human lives and human rights." The Lavender Green Caucus is the first caucus in the Green Party to have achieved official status within the national party. The caucus holds a voting seat on the party's central Coordinating Committee, on which all affiliated state Green Parties are represented. Other caucuses, representing African Americans, Latinos, and women in the party, are also forming. Green caucuses offer policy and platform recommendations to the national, state, and local parties and to Green candidates, and help bring more people and greater diversity into the Green Party. The Lavender Caucus includes Greens from at least 28 states and the District of Columbia, as well as some living abroad. "The military's current policies are truly bipartisan," said Starlene Rankin, a caucus member and California-based Green. "Clinton approved 'don't ask, don't tell,' which led to a dramatic rise in antigay witchhunts, and he also conducted a low-intensity war on Iraq, through the bombing campaigns and the sanctions that killed and maimed Iraqi civilians. Bush has taken all of these destructive policies to the next level, with the support of many Democrats in Congress." United States Green Party Lavender Caucus' Statement of Opposition to War with Iraq December 29, 2002 * The people of Iraq have a right to self-determination guaranteed by historical precedent and international law. * President George W. Bush has failed to demonstrate a clear and present danger to the United States of America from Iraq. * Domestic and international opinion is strongly opposed to military action against the state of Iraq. * A pre-emptive attack against Iraq would be in violation of international law and of United States historical precedent, and the United States' self-declared commitment to the democratic process. * A war with Iraq will further aggravate the Middle East laying the grounds for future war and violence. * The United States military, with the sanction of the President of the United States, continues to deny gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals the right to serve openly in the military during times of peace. * During times of war the United States military has suspended discharges based on sexual and gender orientation thereby allowing gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals to die for the United States. * Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender United States citizens continue to be victims of violence and discrimination within the United States military. * Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals continue to fight for basic civil rights in the United States. * We can cannot support institutions that actively participate in the denial of civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender United States citizens. * We view ourselves in solidarity with the people of Iraq and with their right to self-determination. * We view ourselves in solidarity with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Iraqis struggling for justice. As the Lavender Caucus, we call upon the people of the United States to stand together in a united front against the war machine of the Bush-Cheney Administration. We urge the United Nations, as the sole international body mandated to protect the legal and human rights of the several nations of this world community, to resolve to reaffirm the integrity, sovereignty, and the right to self-determination of Iraq and her people. We call on the United Nations and the world community to oppose and stand strong against United States unilateralism. We call on Congress and the President to focus resources and attention to the deepening domestic crisis. The United States stands at a unique moment in history, and we call on the United States, as the world's sole superpower, to stand as a symbol of peace, justice, and democracy. ** This statement reflects the opinion of the Lavender Green Caucus of the United States Green Party and not necessarily the opinion of the national Green Party. ** For more information, contact: Starlene Rankin: 916-215-1302, starlene@greens.org MORE INFORMATION The Green Party of the United States Lavender Green Caucus
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