Hugh Rose Evans supports Intro 131 for American LGBTQ Museum
Hugh Rose Evans speaks for the American LGBTQ Museum in support of Intro 131. He says intersex people are valued parts of the LGBTQIA community and deserve explicit, permanent protection under the law.
Hello.
Testing.
Ooh, great.
Hello.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
My name is Hugh Rose Evans, and I'm speaking on behalf of the American LGBTQ Museum in support of Intro 131 to codify anti-discrimination protections for intersex people.
I speak today as an ally, and I want to thank Interact for the invite to speak along with them today.
Our museum proudly acknowledges that intersex people are a valued part of the LGBTQI plus community.
They make history every day.
Just take the testimonies from my colleagues that have spoken here.
They're artists, they're cultural musicians, they're directors, they're people who contribute to our everyday society.
Yet we live in a world that seeks to erase their very existence.
Our intersex colleagues, friends, and family members deserve equal recognition and equal protection under the law because they indeed are our colleagues, friends, and family members.
They exist, and they're not alone.
Having rights acknowledged clearly in the text of the law has been shown to improve the mental health and social standing of people in protected groups and classes.
And because intersex people struggle against invisibility and high rates of discrimination, these benefits are even more impactful.
This is an incredible opportunity for our city to stand up for what's right.
Historically, New York was the first city in the United States to extend broad protections against sex and gender-based discrimination to intersex people under the city's Human Rights Commission.
And now the NYC Council has the opportunity to be the first legislative body to make standalone protections for intersex people explicit and permanent in its human rights statute.
We at the museum want to thank everyone on the committee today, the people who've testified in support, and of course, Councilmember Caban for supporting and sponsoring Intro 131.
And we wholeheartedly believe in the council's ability to pass this legislation.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration of all our testimonies.