Gale’s paper was written in response to a paper by other Greens members, titled “Trans Exclusionary Rhetoric”.

In it, Gale argued that banning statements within the party such as “there are two sexes”, “trans women aren’t the same as biological women” and “the science is not conclusive” was contrary to a Greens ethos which encourages robust debate.

The paper “said very clearly and up front that this is not in any way against, or an attack on, trans people”.

“We think trans people have a right to exist and to live free of harassment, vilification, or victimisation and their rights need to be respected.

“But if we’re going to be a party that participates in the formulation of laws then we need to be able to discuss the public policy implications ... and while most of the implications in relation to trans people are good, positive and uncontroversial, there are areas where they potentially run into conflict with women’s rights.”

The paper did not propose answers but stated that in areas such as “the consequences of having male-bodied people in women’s prisons ... in women’s wards in hospitals ... and as staff or clients in women’s shelters and refuges – there are questions that we need to talk about”.

After she was elected as convenor on June 11, with 54 per cent of the vote, the paper was the basis of a fierce online campaign against Gale. It prompted Greens Senator Janet Rice to state on Wednesday that unless Gale distanced herself from it, her position was “untenable”.

On Friday, local Greens MP Tim Read said Gale’s position was untenable.

“Her past statements, and unwillingness to acknowledge the pain they cause, have so firmly associated Linda with opposition to trans rights that nothing she now says can alter that,” he wrote on Facebook.

“The Greens and I fully support the rights of trans and gender diverse people – transphobia and discrimination have no place in our movement.”

He said Gale had given her heart and soul to the party for many years, and her work had been valuable but there was now no alternative but for her to resign.

Gale, a senior industrial officer at the National Tertiary Education Union, was supported by Melbourne City Councillor and Greens member, Rohan Leppert, who on Thursday published a defence of the validity of the election and the choice of Gale.

Leppert said the same Greens members who used social media to “slander” him as trans-exclusionary for expressing concern about “affirmation-only” medical treatment for children with gender dysphoria had used the same public relations tactics to bring down Gale.