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Transgender woman is disqualified from Ohio House race for not using her former name
(www.nbcnews.com)
this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2024
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That's using your name. You had to use your name to do those things. You can say it's fine. But understanding that you're using that name might help you understand one of the difficulties of being trans.
I'm not trying to be difficult or win an argument or anything. This is just a real example of how a trans person has to deal with being deadnamed.
Yeah, this is an interesting case, the public has a legitimate interest to know the previous identity of a candidate, and the candidate has a legitimate interest in disassociating with their previous identity.
Thankfully Americans are known to approach such cases with compassion and nuance, surely.
*prior identity of someone who didn't change their name when married apparently. Just anyone who changed their name legally for any other reason, like going back to their maiden name, being transgender, or wanting to change their name for any other number of reasons.
Are people made aware of the previous identity, or is it just for security's sake in the application process?
I'm not sure how it works in Ohio, but my state has a similar thing where a candidate will have their previous name listed underneath in parenthesis.
That could be interpreted as having to use your name (even if it's under the guise of disclosing it, so the public cannot be misled), which seems like a hugely contentious issue with regards to transpeople.
Plus, depending on the names, it's tantamount to labeling their minority status on the ballot.
Considering the absolute garbage posts which are pushed on Facebook, and the comments underneath them, it's very obvious that there are so many people behind the times in terms of attitudes towards all sorts of minorities, highlighting these aspects could easily result in harm towards them and their families.
I'm probably speaking out of turn here, but reporting a previous name is a simple matter of security, not deadnaming. I'm not trans, but I use my stepfather's surname and changed to that legally when I was 18. If someone called me by my mom's abuser's name to my face I would be distraught, but when forms ask me for prior legal names I just list it and it's not a big deal. It's just an identity thing.
The form isn't asking "what's your real name?" it's asking "have you ever been known by any other legal names?"
I think it's reasonable that you need to use your previous name to help identify you for security purposes. I'm not really arguing against that.
But at the same time, if you did have a problem with using it at all because you had completely disassociated with it, I would understand that too.
A lot of people seem to be deeply offended by a modicum of empathy though.
It really is not what you are saying it is. You have to disclose it, not use it, because otherwise it's an easy way to evade any background checks. No one except the recipient of your application is going to see it; using a name is not the same as disclosing it. Using it means it is employed in a manner which people will identify you as, this is not the case here.