WEB EXCLUSIVE
Written by Caeden Tipler (they/them) | @caedentipler | News Editor
Lawyer SK (Sharyn) Green recently represented ex-Green Party member Darleen Tana in her failed High Court bid to stop the Green Party from evoking the ‘party hopping’ legislation against her.
These events followed a Green Party investigation into Tana’s involvement in migrant exploitation at her husband's E-bike business she co-ran. Following this investigation, which found Tana knew of the exploitation, Tana left the Green Party. She’s remained in parliament as an independent MP, continuing to vote on legislation and attend sitting weeks.
Tana’s lawyer, Sharyn Green, has expressed views that misalign with Tana’s strong stance on Rainbow Communities. In general, who politicians associate with holds more weight than members of the general population by merit of them being elected representatives. However, Tana has stated to Debate she does not support the views of her lawyer. These terms were not part of their engagement and she does not wish to be put in a position where the views of those who she associates with and represent her are imputed to her own. With Tana’s firm stance against these views, it makes her selection of someone with Ms Green’s background surprising.
Sharyn Green has used her LinkedIn profile to express views that are aligned with Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs.) Green commented on a post made by non-binary human rights activist Shaneel Lal, stating that trans people are “men dressed as women… whom attack women exercising their right to speak on Feminism.”
These comments were made following ‘gender critical activist’ Posie Parker’s attempted rally in Albert Park last year, where she was unable to be heard due to the crowds of pro-trans rights protestors. Darleen Tana attended this protest with several Green Party MPs, on the side of these protestors.
Ms Green also criticised people being able to define their own gender, a position the Green Party strongly supports, and which New Zealand law allows. In this comment, Green referred to trans women as “men” in multiple examples and implied trans women who express their identity are inherently unsafe.
She has also criticised the Green Party for not standing up to the “stupid governing party” (Labour) on their COVID-19 policies. Green specifically called out Chlöe Swarbrick, with her background in law, for not representing the “civil rights” of overseas New Zealanders. Green also criticised the “lawyer from Africanisation whom herself came here as a refugee” (presumably this is Iranian-New Zealander and former Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman) for the same reason.
She described the former COVID-19 policy that required people to carry ‘vaccine passports’ to access places like cafés and hairdressers as fascist. She compared this situation to “post the war Europe” underneath a post about a Holocaust survivor.
Green saw the impact of vaccine mandates firsthand, previously representing teachers and construction workers who lost their jobs and sportspeople who lost opportunities for not being vaccinated.
Ms Green told Debate she is not anti-vaccination. Her COVID criticism is directed towards COVID-19 policies on vaccination mandates, rather than the vaccines themselves. However, Green also said she stands by her comments on transgender communities, being specifically against “transsexuals using women's spaces.”
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