Boston City Council passed resolutions to support the hotel strike and acknowledge Oct. 26 as Intersex Awareness Day during its Wednesday meeting.
Councilors Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Edward Flynn and Benjamin Weber sponsored the resolution standing in support of UNITE HERE Local 26 union which represents hotel workers and their ongoing strike for increased wages and benefits.
“I stand in strong support of UNITE HERE Local 26 members who are asserting their rights for a higher wage,” Weber said.
Wednesday morning, Council President Ruthzee Louijeune’s office scheduled a breakfast at a hotel in East Boston, but it was canceled due to striking workers, she said.
“I want to make sure that the hotels are listening … The longer this strike goes, the more business you lose,” Louijeune said. “It is to their detriment to not come to an agreement.”
Coletta Zapata said hotel workers are significant to Boston’s economy, particularly due to the city’s reliance on tourism.
“These workers are front-line ambassadors for our cities,” Coletta Zapata said. “They are among the first to welcome travelers [and] ensure visitors have an exceptional experience in Boston.”
Councilor John Fitzgerald said hotel workers are who allow Boston to be “an economic driver for the rest of the state and New England.”
Additionally, Councilor Henry Santana passed a resolution recognizing Oct. 26 as Intersex Awareness Day.
A person who is intersex is born with physical sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female bodies, according to the Intersex Society of North America.
“It’s crucial that we say the word ‘intersex’ out loud, understand its meaning and use it properly,” Santana said. “Yet, due to the lack of awareness and education, many intersex individuals face significant social stigma, health inequities and mental health challenges.”
Santana said it is important to enhance intersex awareness to ensure people who are intersex “realize that they are not alone” and can “live openly and authentically.”
Esther Leidolf, an advocate for the intersex community and author of the memoir “Not Uncommon, Just Unheard Of,” spoke at the meeting.
She said “intersex awareness will alleviate the fear of the unknown” and “gives people a chance to be who they are in a culture hell bent to hide us.”
“When I talk to people about intersex, they are stunned by what they do not know,” Leidolf said. “Their ignorance is genuine, and their concerns are so hopeful. They see how intersex awareness frees everyone from rigid standards.”
