G U E S T P E R S P E C T I V E
Dont Forget the “I” in LGBTQIA
BY DANIEL DROMM
I founded Queens Pride 29 years ago to be
a welcoming space for all the borough’s
diverse communities. Through the years,
I excitedly watched as this colorful celebration,
with a serious political message, grew.
It seems every country is now represented. The
transgender presence, always there from the
beginning, is ubiquitous at this point. Many
others of all stripes fl ock to an event that is
grounded in family, friends, and neighbors, not
corporations. And, of course, so many straight
allies have come to stand with us, which always
makes me swell with emotion.
If asked to distill the essence of Pride, I would
say it is about creating a home for all who do not
conform to rigid societal notions of gender and
sexuality. One group is taking this a step further
and challenging the idea of what “normal” bodies
should look like: the intersex community.
“Intersex” is an umbrella term for differences
in sex traits or reproductive anatomy. Intersex
people are born with these differences or
develop them in childhood. There are many
possible differences in genitalia, hormones, internal
anatomy, or chromosomes, compared to
the usual two ways that human bodies develop.
According to the United Nations, up to 1.7 percent
of the world population is born with intersex
traits.
Medical professionals often encourage parents
and guardians to agree to procedures to
treat intersex traits and variations in sex characteristics,
even when such procedures are
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL/JEFF REED
Queens Councilmember Daniel Dromm.
medically unnecessary. Despite the prevalence
of these violations of basic human rights, there
is no federal or state law prohibiting such procedures.
Much of the work of the intersex community
is aimed at ensuring decisions around
intersex bodies are based on informed consent
and self determination, principals that should
be very familiar to LGBTQIA+ and other liberation
movements.
New York City has been leading the way in
seeking justice for the intersex community. In
April of this year, the New York City Council
passed my legislation requiring the Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct
a public information and outreach campaign
regarding medically unnecessary treatments
on individuals born with intersex traits or variations
in sex characteristics. Most notably, the
input of members of the intersex community
will play a keyrole in the development of this
program. With proper information, New Yorkers
will now be more likely to understand the adverse
effects of coercive “normalizing” medical
interventions.
Prompted by this legislation and the work
of advocates, NYC Health + Hospitals has decided
to end the practice of medically unnecessary
surgeries on children with intersex traits.
Sadly, other prominent institutions, including
Weill Cornell, still prey upon the unfounded
fears of parents and guardians in pursuit of
lucrative yet unethical practices. I applaud
this tremendous step forward and hope that
it will encourage private hospitals in the city
to follow suit.
We cannot, as an LGBTQIA+ movement, or as
a society for that matter, say that we respect the
right to bodily integrity and the foundational
concept of consent yet ignore the injustices perpetrated
by much of the medical establishment
against our intersex siblings. So let’s celebrate
the “I” this Pride Month and commit to ending
this particularly insidious form of violence!
To learn more about the intersex community
and fi nd out how you can help, visit interactadvocates.
org.
Councilmember Daniel Dromm is the chair of
the City Council’s LGBT Caucus.
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