Betsy Driver Explained

Betsy Driver
Party:Democrat
Office:Mayor of Flemington, New Jersey
Term Start:January 2, 2019
Term End:January 3, 2023
Predecessor:Phil Greiner
Successor:Marcia A. Karrow
Office2:Town Councilor in Flemington, New Jersey
Term Start2:2017
Term End2:2019
Birth Place:Buffalo, New York, U.S.

Betsy Driver (born 1964) is a former mayor of Flemington, New Jersey, and an advocate for intersex human rights and awareness. She is the first openly intersex person to be elected as a political officeholder in the United States.[1] [2]

Early life

Driver was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1964.[3] She was born with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).[4]

In her mid-30s, she began learning about intersex people and the surgeries she went through at eight months old. She has stated that she and her mother had been told that she was the only one to have this condition.[5]

Career and advocacy

Driver was once a journalist and segment producer for CBS News.[2] [3] After joining groups for women with CAH, in 2001, she cofounded Bodies Like Ours, an online community forum for those with intersex variations.[2] In 2003, Driver was appointed executive director of Bodies Like Ours.[6] Driver and Emi Koyama, were credited for starting Intersex Awareness Day, which is observed on October 26 and is internationally recognized.[3] [7]

When Driver decided to run for a town council seat in Flemington in 2017, she learned that opponents planned to make an issue of her sexuality.[2] She wrote an article about Intersex Awareness Day on her campaign Facebook page and the topic never became an issue during her campaign.[2] In 2017, Driver was elected to Flemington town council, where she served for two years before being elected as mayor.[2] [7] She is the first openly intersex elected official in the United States, and the second worldwide after Australian Tony Briffa.[3]

She was selected as a grand marshal for the 50th Pride Parade in Manhattan[7] and recognized by Heritage of Pride as a community hero in 2019.[2]

Driver became the mayor of Flemington, New Jersey, on January 2, 2019 after defeating incumbent mayor Phil Greiner by just 26 votes in the November 2018 election. After 1 term, she lost re-election to former State Senator Marcia A. Karrow by just 94 votes in 2022.[8]

Personal life

Driver has lived in Flemington since 2007 with her wife and their two sons.[2]

External links

Web site: Caroline . Fassett . 2020-10-14 . N.J. mayor will not resign amid backlash from anti-Trump Facebook post . 2024-04-20 . nj.com . en.

Notes and References

  1. News: Americans Made History On Election Night . Esquire . 7 November 2018 . September 10, 2019.
  2. News: NYC Pride march to honor intersex New Jersey mayor . Reyna . Rikki . New York Daily News . 26 June 2019 . September 10, 2019.
  3. News: New Jersey Elects First-Ever Intersex Person to Hold Public Office in U.S. . INTO . 9 November 2017 . September 11, 2019.
  4. News: Mayor Betsy Driver is Promoting Intersex Visibility Through Activism and Politics . Yahoo . 23 August 2019 . September 10, 2019 . 22 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922231744/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/mayor-betsy-driver-promoting-intersex-033405813.html . dead .
  5. News: Intersex Awareness Day Awareness! . Elliot . Rory . The Bridge . 23 October 2018 . September 10, 2019 . 4 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200804170753/https://pccbridge.com/index.php/2018/10/23/intersex-awareness-day-awareness/ . dead .
  6. News: Bodies Like Ours Names New Director . Intersex Initiative . 4 June 2003 . September 10, 2019.
  7. News: 1st openly intersex politician among grand marshals at 50th Pride Parade . Duffy . Christie . PIX11 . 28 June 2019 . September 10, 2019.
  8. Web site: Joey . Fox . Karrow unseats Driver in Flemington . . Mayfair Media . November 8, 2022 . December 10, 2022.