Greens Co-Founder Considers Legal Action After Being Ousted From Party Over Trans Post

Drew Hutton, co-founder of the Australian Greens, says a “cult mentality” has taken over his now-former party after he was officially expelled for a social media post regarding transgenders.

The party’s Constitution and Arbitration Committee’s (CAC) moved to expel Hutton on May 30, following a suspension in July 2023 because he refused to delete comments left under a Facebook post of his.

On July 20, he attended the Queensland Greens’ state council meeting to appeal the decision, but members voted overwhelmingly to reject his appeal, with a 75–23 vote.

The 23 votes in support included Greens founder Bob Brown and the party’s first female leader, Christine Milne.

Facebook Post Controversy

The issue stems from a 2022 Facebook post, where Hutton weighed in on the decision to annul the election of the Victorian branch’s state convenor Linda Gale and a New South Wales member Anna Kerr over their supposed transphobic comments.

Hutton labelled these moves “authoritarian and antidemocratic” and his post generated heated discussion, some of which he himself deemed “hurtful and disrespectful.”

The Facebook post read: “I believe in full human rights for trans people at the same time as supporting the right of women to be free from patriarchies’ oppression. I am also prepared to say these things publicly. Unfortunately in the Greens at present that would seem to make me a transphobe.”

While the CAC found Hutton himself had not demeaned trans women, it did find that he provided a platform for others to do so by not removing comments under his post, which is deemed to have violated the party’s code of ethics.

Hutton’s refusal to follow the CAC’s instruction to delete the comments, citing free speech, led to his expulsion on May 30. Ultimately, Hutton deleted the post and the comments, but it seemed too late to alter his fate.

“Respectful debate is the fundamental basis upon which members of the Queensland Greens make decisions, and the vast majority of members do so without breaching party rules,” said Queensland Greens convener Gemmia Burden, in a statement.

“Comments made and enabled by the former member went beyond respectful and robust discussion—they were harmful to the safety and wellbeing of people within the party and the broader community.

“It is disheartening to see that Mr. Hutton has prioritised his perceived right to free speech over the safety of others.”

‘A Cult Mentality has Taken Over’

Hutton founded the Queensland Greens in 1990 and co-founded the Australian Greens in 1991. The former lecturer of politics and history, who chained himself to a tree in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall during a wave of protest actions in the 1980s, has been a staunch advocate for environmental and social justice issues.

Hutton said he is “very disappointed” with the direction of the greens are taking.

“They seem to be obsessed about transgender rights and not taking a strong enough stand on environmental issues,” he told The Epoch Times.

“The party that I founded here in Queensland 30 years ago saw itself as having an historic mission to help move the world towards ecological sustainability.

“The emphasis now seems to be on the rights of particular identities. That’s not the sort of party that I think Australia needs at the present time.”

The former party leader, known for initiating the “Lock the Gate” campaign against coal seam gas mining in 2010, said a “cult mentality” had taken over.

“I believe a cult mentality has taken over in the greens that it’s become far more doctrinaire and authoritarian, not allowing debate, in particular, on gender issues, and expelling anybody who attempts to raise those issues,” he said. “This is not a democratic party.”

Considering Legal Action

Asked about the future of his activism, and the possibility of continuing his work outside the Greens, the elder cited his senior age.

“I’m an old man these days, it’s not really about me,” Hutton said, adding that he is looking at legal and political options for the expulsion that he had been subjected to.

“There is a need for a party or for politicians who doggedly pursue environmental issues and do so in a sane way, and I’ll be supporting any initiatives that take that particular direction,” he said.

The Epoch Times contacted the Queensland Greens for comment who responded saying Hutton had breached the Queensland Greens Code of Ethics.

“This decision reflects the Greens’ position as endorsed by its membership—that trans rights are non-negotiable human rights, a position publicly reaffirmed in 2022. No one should be subjected to violence or hate speech on the basis of their gender, nor their race, sexual identity, ethnicity, or religion,” the party said in a statement.

“Comments made and enabled by the former member went beyond respectful and robust discussion—they were harmful to the safety and wellbeing of people within the party and the broader community.

“It is disheartening to see that Mr Hutton has prioritised his perceived right to free speech over the safety of others.”

The Queensland Greens also said Hutton had “refused to engage fairly with the party” and sought special treatment, while using the “media to prosecute his case.”