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Betsy Driver

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Betsy Driver
Mayor of Flemington, New Jersey
In office
January 2, 2019 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byPhil Greiner
Succeeded byMarcia A. Karrow
Town Councilor in Flemington, New Jersey
In office
2017–2019
Personal details
Born1964 (age 59–60)
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic

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

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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

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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

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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Americans Made History On Election Night". Esquire. 7 November 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Reyna, Rikki (26 June 2019). "NYC Pride march to honor intersex New Jersey mayor". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "New Jersey Elects First-Ever Intersex Person to Hold Public Office in U.S." INTO. 9 November 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Mayor Betsy Driver is Promoting Intersex Visibility Through Activism and Politics". Yahoo. 23 August 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  5. ^ Elliot, Rory (23 October 2018). "Intersex Awareness Day Awareness!". The Bridge. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  6. ^ "Bodies Like Ours Names New Director". Intersex Initiative. 4 June 2003. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Duffy, Christie (28 June 2019). "1st openly intersex politician among grand marshals at 50th Pride Parade". PIX11. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  8. ^ Fox, Joey (November 8, 2022). "Karrow unseats Driver in Flemington". New Jersey Globe. Mayfair Media. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
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Fassett, Caroline (2020-10-14). "N.J. mayor will not resign amid backlash from anti-Trump Facebook post". nj.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.

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