A transgender woman running for a house seat in Ohio was disqualified on January 4 (UPI) for failing to list her pre-transition name on voter-distribution petitions.
Despite having gathered all the necessary signatures to run, Vanessa Joy, a potential Democrat member for House District 50 covering Stark County, told local media on Wednesday that she was disqualified for failing to disclose her given name—or deadname—on petitions.
Some transgender people refer to their previous names as deadnames. Most LGBTQ+ people believe that using a transgender person’s last name on purpose is an act of hatred. Under their harassment policies, major social media platforms like TikTok and Discord have outlawed deadnaming.
Joy remarked, “I would have had to have my deadname on my petitions.” However, in the trans community, there is a reason why our deadnames are dead, i.e., someone who has passed away and been buried.
Joy is one of at least four trans candidates for state representative in an effort to combat a surge in anti-trans legislation.
“There are so many transgender candidates in Ohio because there is nothing we can do but try to fight back,” she said.
Officials claimed that Joy violated a little-known, infrequently-enforced law that forbids any name changes on their personal petitions over the previous five years.
According to Atiba Ellis, a professor of elections at Case Western Reserve University, it would be reasonable for the candidate to reveal their identity, including their previous names, so that the public and their representatives in the state authorities could analyze them and fully identify them.
There are a number of exceptions to the 1995 rules, such as engaged candidates who changed their names.
Ohio’s 2024 candidate necessity guide makes no mention of the law, and Joy, who has officially changed her name and birth certificate, claimed she was unaware of it prior to being removed from the ballot.
“Something that is that important should have been in the guidelines,” Joy remarked. “It should have been on the petitions.”
Although at least two other transgender candidates were certified by their boards, they were unaware of the law and did not list their deadnames.
The most recent trans rights battle is in Ohio. Before the start of the new year, Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a bill that would have prohibited transgender women from competing in female sports events and limited their access to transitional medical attention.
The Republican governor blocked the GOP-led bill, claiming that he would be telling Ohioans that “the state knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most, their parents.”
Bill Seitz, the majority leader of the Ohio House, stated that the House anticipates receiving the votes required to override the veto. A vote is expected on January 10.
Joy has until Friday to file an appeal, but it is unclear what will happen to the other trans candidates seeking the Ohio House of Representatives.
