You are reading

Opinion: Dromm Says Don’t Forget the “I” in LGBTQIA+

Photo Provided By Office of Councilmember Daniel Dromm

June 25, 2021 Op-Ed By: Council Member 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 flock 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.

Councilmember Daniel Dromm (Photo: NYC Council)

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 are 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 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 selfdetermination, 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 NYC 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 key role 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 find out how you can help, visit interactadvocates.org.

  • *CM Daniel Dromm is the NYC Council Member for District 25 representing Jackson Heights & Elmhurst
email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Advocates urge passage of New York for All Act as Assembly session nears end

Jun. 16, 2025 By Jimmy Robles

As the State Senate concluded its legislative session on Thursday, immigrant rights advocates renewed calls for lawmakers to pass the New York for All Act before the Assembly adjourns on Tuesday, June 17. The proposed legislation, along with several other immigration-related bills, remains pending as the clock winds down on this year’s session.

Queens gun buyback takes 74 firearms off streets, including ghost guns and assault weapons: DA

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday that 74 firearms were taken off the streets at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica during a gun buyback event on Saturday, June 14. The weapons were exchanged for bank cards pre-loaded with cash, with no identification required and no questions asked.

“Gun buybacks serve as a critical tool for reducing gun violence and promoting public safety within our communities,” Katz said. “This Saturday, working with the NYPD and clergy leaders in Jamaica, we received 74 surrendered guns — including five automatic weapons. As a result, these firearms will not be used to cause heartache and tragedy.”

Suspect wanted for slashing rider during violent altercation on Q43 bus in Jamaica: NYPD

Police from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica are still looking for a suspect who attacked a rider on board a Q43 MTA bus late last month.

A 24-year-old victim was sitting on the bus as it approached Archer Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, when a stranger began to argue with him. The verbal dispute escalated into violence when the assailant began to punch the victim multiple times in the head and body. The perpetrator then slashed the victim in the left hand with an unknown sharp object, police said. The attacker stormed off the bus and was last seen traveling southbound on Sutphin Avenue toward the Long Island Rail Road Station.

Ozone Park man indicted for kidnapping and assault of 11-year-old girl in Forest Park: DA

A Queens grand jury indicted an Ozone Park man for abducting an 11-year-old girl in Forest Park and sexually assaulting her before the victim’s father intervened in May.

Teddy Moussignac, 44, of 102nd Street, was arraigned Friday in Queens Supreme Court on a seven-count indictment charging him with kidnapping, assault, two counts of sexual assault in the first degree, and other related crimes.