WISCONSIN GREEN PARTY MEMBER CODE OF CONDUCT

OVERVIEW

This Code of Conduct applies to all dues paying Members of the Wisconsin Green Party who upon becoming a Member are bound by the policies set forth in this document and bound by the Bylaws of the Wisconsin Green Party.

Every Member is an ambassador for the Green Party to the broader polity, and to the world. The Green Party’s positions and goals are defined by the Platform and officially approved statements by the Party that have gone through the appropriate democratic process.

WISCONSIN GREEN PARTY VISION

As part of the international Green movement for grassroots democracy, social and economic justice, nonviolence, and ecology, we are committed to winning power for the people and protecting our planet. We are dedicated to transforming our society according to Green values of decentralization, community-based economics, feminism and gender equity, respect for diversity, personal and global responsibility, and future focus and sustainability.

1. A) Inclusiveness

All Greens have a responsibility to be inclusive to members and the general public in their interactions.  

• Green Party members and organizations may not exclude people from participating in online forums or at meetings on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, social and economic class, educational, level, color, immigration status, sex, age, size, family status, religion, or mental or physical ability.  
• No Green Party Member should be disallowed from participating in their local and State activities unless suspended due to unacceptable behavior.

1. B) Interpersonal Behavior

The success of the Green Party depends on the enthusiasm, talents, cooperation, and hard work of each of its members. Because the things we say and do, and the decisions we make, affect us all, we are each obliged to treat every other member with respect, due deference, generosity, and consideration.  

• Disparagement, exaggerated accusations, deliberate mischaracterizations, and deceptive framing are inconsistent with Green ethics. 

• Expressing unproven assumptions (or suspicions) that a colleague's intentions are malevolent, or failing to give the benefit of the doubt, is counterproductive. 

• When frustrations occur and tempers flare, we are obliged to step back and wait for passions to cool before re-engaging.

1. C) Collegiality and Professionalism

As Greens we place our trust in one another. To succeed, we must have both transparency and confidentiality. Leaders, committee members, delegates, and others in positions of responsibility should exemplify the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Members should refrain from:

• Publicly airing internal disagreements, and from publicly disparaging or denigrating the party or any of its members. 
• Criticism of the Party, where justified, should be constructive, and offered with the aim of improving the Party and supporting its Membership. 
• Publicly condemning Party Members is unacceptable as it damages the public standing of the Party and imperils its mission.

1. D) Unacceptable Conduct and Possible Grounds for Removal

The following behaviors and actions may be grounds for involvement from the Dispute Resolution Committee and disciplinary action if extreme and severe:

• Betrayal of confidences entrusted in accordance with Bylaws, policies, rules, or agreed procedures
• Offering or accepting bribes, whether monetary or for other consideration
• Theft, larceny, extortion, blackmail
• Any felony the commission of which involves the Green Party, its property, data, or members, except in the conduct of principled strategic acts of nonviolent civil disobedience
• Acting or conspiring to subvert the procedures of any committee or the conduct of any internal election
• Misrepresentation of one's own or another's political commitments; infiltration on behalf of any outside interest; or maintenance of a conflict of interest without full disclosure.
• Violence and threats of violence
• Unwelcome sexual attention
• Discriminatory language such as racial, ethnic, religious, LGBT or sexist slurs
• Sharing sexually explicit or violent material via electronic devices or other means without consent (content one might expect to see in an R rated movie)
• Doxing (defined as searching for and publishing private or identifying information about a particular individual on the Internet, typically with malicious intent)
• Repeated and excessive occurrences of spamming, overly harsh and personal criticism, vilification, and/or back-biting
• Bullying (defined as intentional use of repeated verbal, physical, or social behavior, with a real or perceived imbalance of power, to abuse, aggressively dominate, or intimidate others, who feel unable to stop it from happening).