➤ INTERSEX SURGERY, from p.30
said in a written statement. “Yet many intersex
people are forced to undergo unnecessary and
irreversible surgeries that can cause physical
pain and emotional distress… I am confi dent
this bill is a safe, responsible way to protect the
rights of all intersex New Yorkers.”
Kimberly Zieselman, who is intersex and
serves as the executive director of interACT,
said in a written statement that “a subset of the
medical community” is unwilling to respect intersex
voices and, as a result, vulnerable children
across the state are suffering. According
to USA Today , Zieselman had surgery at age 15
after doctors told her she had a partially formed
uterus and ovaries, which they said needed to
be removed to prevent cancer. Her parents gave
permission to carry out surgery, but it was not
until she obtained her medical records as an
adult that she learned she is intersex and that
the surgery actually was to remove internal
testes. She said she never had a uterus or ovaries.
“Genital normalizing surgeries such as clitoral
‘reductions’ and vaginoplasties instill deep
shame and sexual trauma in young children
when they cannot make a decision for themselves,”
Zieselman said. “That these abuses of
intersex youth continue after decades of advocacy
proves the intensity of the shame and
anti-LGBTQ bias at play. We are so grateful to
Senator Hoylman for bringing New York to the
right side of history.”
Hoylman, who is in the process of crafting
the specifi cs of the legislation, did not specify
the age at which minors would be able to provide
informed consent for intersex surgeries or
how his law would defi ne the parameters under
which surgery would be deemed medically necessary
or unnecessary.
The Intersex Society of North America states
that such surgeries should be reserved for cases
when operations would resolve life-threatening
metabolic crises, while the American Academy
of Family Physicians maintains that the surgeries
should be limited to “resolving signifi cant
functional impairment or removing imminent
and substantial risk of developing a health- or
life-threatening condition.”
The issue has become a contentious one in
California’s State Legislature, where proposed
legislation banning nonconsensual genital procedures
on minors has faced resistance from
doctors who argue that parents should be the
ones to make decisions about their children, according
to the Los Angeles Times .
On the local level, New York City’s Commission
on Human Rights updated guidance earlier
this year stating that intersex people are
also covered under discrimination protections
on the basis of sexual orientation and gender
identity. The health department also updated
birth certifi cate policies this year to offer folks
an “X” option, which respects non-binary and
intersex people.
A LWAY S F R E E . A LWAY S S M A R T.
n e c b . c o m
A LWAY S - F R E E B U S I N E S S C H E C K I N G .
NO FEES | NO MONTHLY SERVICE CHARGES
NO MAINTENANCE CHARGES | NO MINIMUM BALANCES
NO ONLINE BANKING FEES | NO TRANSACTION LIMITATIONS
FREE ATM/VISA DEBIT CARD | FREE BILLPAY® | E-STATEMENTS
®
CHELSEA: 242 W. 23RD�� �� ������ �� �� �� ���� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ��
ADDITIONAL OFFICES IN:
FORDHAM (Little Italy): �� �� �� �� �� ���� �� �� �� TH�� �� ������ �� �� �� ���� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ��
LENOX HILL: �� �� �� �� �� �� ST������ �� ���� �� �� �� ���� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ��
MONDAY-THURSDAY 9-4�� �� �� �� �� �� �� ���� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ���� �� �� �� ���� �� �� �� �� ��
FORDHAM: SATURDAY �� �� ����
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF LOCATIONS AND HOURS, GO TO NECB.COM
necb.com
GayCityNews.com | November 21 - November 27, 2019 31
/NECB.COM
/necb.com
/GayCityNews.com
