Brooklyn Changes Gender Binary Rule

By Charlotte Robinson, January 05, 2021

The Brooklyn Democratic Party voted unanimously to approve a long awaited & historic change that repeals the gender binary requirement allowing only men & women to run for party office in Brooklyn, New York. The Party’s rule change will allow transgender, gender non-conforming & non-binary (TGNCNB) individuals to openly serve on County Committee beginning in the 2022 election cycle. Samy Nemir Olivares, District Leader AD53 & a member of the Gender Taskforce stated, “This victorious rule change belongs to the queer community in Brooklyn, advocates, as well the brave TGNC plaintiffs who put their lives on the public eye & took on a lawsuit to open the path for everyone to run & serve regardless of their gender identity or expression. No one should be denied participation in politics for who they are or how they identify & the binary rule denied the existence of TGNC people. This was a powerful vote to open the doors & remove barriers that prevented people from all genders to have a seat & a vote at the table. As a Queer Brooklynite who fought for this change, I’m very proud & thrilled we were able to take this historic step forward towards inclusion to recognize the humanity of those living beyond the gender binary & welcome their equitable participation. It should have not taken a lawsuit, a taskforce & six months to recognize that everyone deserves a seat at the table, but I’m pleased to see public education that changed hearts & minds & made this progress possible. But we can’t stop here, a seat at the table doesn’t guarantee you can speak or vote, so we need to move beyond diversity & inclusion towards empowerment & leadership.” 

 

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