Ohio transgender candidate disqualified for not disclosing deadname

Jan. 4 (UPI) -- A transgender woman running for a house seat in Ohio was disqualified for failing to disclose her pretransition name on petitions circulated to voters.

Vanessa Joy, a prospective Democratic candidate for House District 50 covering Stark County, told local media Wednesday she was disqualified for failing to disclose her given name -- or deadname -- on petitions, despite having collected all the required signatures to run.

Deadnames are the former names of many transgender people. LGBTQ people largely view Intentionally referring to a transgender person by their deadname as an expression of hate. Major social media platforms such as TikTok and Discord have banned deadnaming under their hateful conduct policies.

"I would have had to have my deadname on my petitions," Joy said. "But in the trans community, our deadnames are dead; there's a reason it's dead - that is a dead person who is gone and buried."

Joy is one of at least four transgender people running for state representative to fight against a rise in anti-trans legislation.

"The only thing we can do is try to fight back, and that's why there are so many trans candidates in Ohio," she said.

Officials said Joy violated a little-known and seldom-enforced law that requires any name changes over the previous five years on their signature petitions.

"It would be fair for the candidate to disclose their identity, including prior names, so that the people and their representatives in the state government would be able to vet that person and know exactly who they are," Case Western Reserve University elections law professor Atiba Ellis said.

The 1995 law has several exceptions, such as candidates who changed their names after they were married.

Joy, who has legally changed her name and her birth certificate, said she was not aware of the law before being removed from the ballot, and Ohio's 2024 candidate requirement guide makes no mention of the law.

"Something that is that important should have been on the instructions," Joy said. "It should have been on the petition."

At least two other trans candidates also didn't know of the law and did not include their deadnames, but both were certified by their boards.

Ohio is the latest battleground for transgender rights. Just before New Year's, Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a bill that would have restricted transgender girls from female athletic events and curtailed transitioning medical care.

The Republican governor blocked the GOP-led legislature, saying he would be telling Ohioans "that the government knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most, their parents."

Ohio House Majority Leader Bill Seitz said the House expects to have the necessary votes to override the veto. A vote is expected Jan. 10.

It is unclear what will happen to the other transgender candidates running for the Ohio House of Representatives, but Joy has until Friday to appeal her case.