Alistair Henry-Idelson testifies for standalone intersex protections

Thanks, all.

The goal is to get...

Apologize.

No, you guys are fab, and these are all rock stars.

So just thank you for the opportunity.

Hey, everyone.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to submit testimony.

It's an honor.

My name is Alistair Henry Idelson, and I live in Brooklyn.

And I'm a trans person with an invisible, life-threatening physical disability.

I want to thank all of my co-panelists and each of you for the effort, and everyone in this room, because I know it takes a lot to get us here.

I'm speaking, of course, in support of Intro 131, and I've been a civil rights lawyer for more than two decades, most recently with the General Counsel's Office of the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services Civil Rights Division, where I was responsible for helping to ensure civil rights compliance in the health programs of the United States.

Under the Biden administration.

Before that, I was the legal director of Interact, the nation's largest intersex advocacy organization and a main power behind New York City's leading administrative recognition of this issue.

So I first began working on this issue many years ago in law school, and I was just flabbergasted that

no one was doing a sufficient job protecting this amazing, beautiful community that was experiencing ongoing horrific harms, what has been called a form of torture by the United Nations.

As I got to learn more and saw the way intersex people were being treated, I became more convinced that explicit protection was necessary.

And it's part of why Interact engaged with the Human Rights Commission on that crucial guidance.

So thank you all for everyone here who helped make that happen.

And part of the reason I'm here today is because that was so many years ago, and we're still seeing the same kind of harms.

We're still saying the same kind of things, so more must be done.

And particularly, as folks have said, when federal protections to help address this issue have been rolled back.

And I know personally how challenging it was to get those passed at the federal level because I was, in fact, trying to get them passed.

So, of course, we can and should be the first legislative body to make standalone protections explicit and permanent.

And then just one other thing, intersex status and gender identity are, of course, different aspects of who a person is.

And even in my many years of working with experienced and very intelligent attorneys and other folks, many people conflate being intersex with being trans or other.

identities, other ways of being, and clear standalone protections helps not only this group, but also related groups

and those who may not be intersex or, you know, other things, but who experience discrimination on the basis of perceived intersex status or perceived intersex traits.

the serious uptick in gender panic, again, as other folks have talked about, this is just more important than ever.

So basically, New York

has done an amazing job so far thanks to so many people here, but more is necessary.

So I really appreciate the chance to express support and also for your careful time and consideration.

And I ask the council to pass intro 131.

Thank you so much.