In the same week, bills introduced to help and hinder trans candidates in Ohio
Ohio House Democrats have proposed new legislation to address problems that arose during the March 2024 election cycle, when the candidacies of four trans candidates were challenged.
In one of those cases, Stark County’s Vanessa Joy was disqualified from running for an Ohio House seat for not listing her deadname on her election petition.
In addition to the privacy and safety issues involved with trans individuals being forcibly outed by having to list their deadname, Ohio forms don’t even include a space to list prior names.
To address these issues, bill sponsors Reps. Michelle Grim (D-Toledo) and Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) introduced HB 467 last week. If passed, the bill would grant an exemption to an obscure Ohio law requiring candidates to formally disclose any changes of name in the past five years. The exemption would cover any legal name changes.
The bill was referred to Ohio’s Government Oversight Committee on Tuesday for review.
An exemption already exists in the revised code for a change of name by reason of marriage.
“This little-known law puts trans and other candidates who change their name at a disadvantage,” said Grim. “The law is unequally applied to these Ohioans who just want to make a difference for their communities.”
Piccolantonio, who was sworn in on January 10 to complete the term of retired Rep. Mary Lightbody, said the issue is about more than trans candidates, and includes individuals who might have changed their names legally for a variety of reasons.
“I think it’s critical that there’s clarity about what the requirements are,” Piccolantonio said. “This should not be a partisan issue, and everyone should agree that the law needs to be clarified and fixed.”
In addition to adding the exemption, HB 467 would create space on candidate forms to list prior names and would add gender-neutral language to refer to the candidates. Currently, the revised code refers to candidates as male, a reflection of just how long ago this language was written.
Republicans push for more disqualifications
Also on Tuesday, the same day that HB 467 was referred to committee, Rep. Angie King (R-Celina) and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria) announced via press release that they were introducing legislation to allow any voter to protest an individual’s candidacy.
Whereas current law only allows for voters to protest a candidacy for an individual of their same registered political party, the Republicans’ proposed bill would allow any Ohioan to protest any candidate.
In the Republicans’ list of reasons under which eligible voters can protest an individual’s candidacy: “The individual does not include their former name on required documentation to run for office.”
The press release did not reference that there is no place on required documentation to list those names.
“Transparency is key to the success of our elections,” King said in the release.
Despite extolling the importance of transparency, Creech and King failed to share in the press release that their opponents in the November election are two of the four trans Ohioans whose candidacies were challenged. Creech faces Democrat Bobbie Arnold and King’s opponent is Democrat Ari Childrey.
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“This move by the Ohio GOP underscores the systemic discrimination against transgender individuals like me in politics,” Childrey said in a statement. “While my opponent appears consumed by a vendetta-driven agenda in the legislature, my priority remains on championing the needs of struggling, working-class Ohioans. I can’t help but wonder if this is related to her failed attempt to have one of her GOP friends remove me from the ballot. It seems like she can’t handle facing a trans woman who won’t back down from her bigotry.”
Creech had previously said he was fine with candidates filling out their paperwork with only their legal name, even his opponent.
“[Bobbie Arnold] being on the ballot — it’s not an issue for me,” Creech told WEWS/OCJ in January. “I was not going to challenge Bobbie on the ticket.”
A ‘harsh reality’ for trans candidates
The Republicans’ bill – which has not yet been assigned a number or to a committee – has garnered national attention.
Janelle Perez, executive director of LPAC, the nation’s only organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates to public office, described the “harsh reality” of trans candidates navigating a fraught political landscape.
“The insistence on using deadnames on petitions and ballots not only erases their true identity, but also exposes them to potential harm,” Perez said in a statement. “It is unconscionable that in this day and age, transgender individuals are still being subjected to such dehumanizing treatment. This blatant disregard for the fundamental principles of fairness and inclusion is not only appalling but also a grave threat to our democratic values.”
Piccolantonio described it as “ridiculous” that individuals are being targeted by the arbitrary enforcement of unclear laws. But she also said this latest move is not out of character for the current legislature.
“My very first vote was to vote no on HB 68, so I’ve seen firsthand how this General Assembly has spent an awful amount of time waging a war against marginalized individuals,” Piccolantonio said. “[In this case], we have a law that isn’t known, can’t be complied with and needs to change.”
Original Story by Matthew Bajko, Bay Area Reporter
April 29, 2024