In a surprising turn of events, Vanessa Joy, a transgender woman running for Ohio House District 50, has been disqualified from the race for failing to disclose her former name on petitions circulated to voters. Local election officials deemed her ineligible to run, despite Joy having collected the required number of signatures.

Located in Stark County, a firmly Republican district just south of Akron, Ohio, Joy's disqualification follows the discovery that she violated a rarely enforced state law. The law, passed in 1995, stipulates that candidates for public office must disclose any name changes that occurred within the previous five years on their signature petitions. Exceptions to the law are made for candidates who change their names due to marriage.

Vanessa Joy, who has legally changed her name and birth certificate, expressed her lack of awareness regarding the law prior to being removed from the ballot. Ohio's 2024 candidate requirement guide makes no explicit mention of this particular provision.

As a transgender woman, Joy adamantly argues against the requirement to publicly disclose her deadname, which is the name she used before her transition. The trans community views the use of deadnames as an expression of hate towards transgender individuals. Major social media platforms such as TikTok and Discord have banned deadnaming under their hateful conduct policies.

Joy further warned that such a requirement would inevitably discourage other transgender individuals from pursuing political office, potentially hindering representation within the community.

This law's enforcement coincides with a critical juncture for transgender people in Ohio, as the state legislature prepares to override Governor Mike DeWine's veto of House Bill 68. The bill seeks to prohibit minors from accessing gender-affirming healthcare and prevent transgender athletes from participating in school sports teams aligned with their gender identity.

The Ohio House Majority Leader's office has expressed confidence in having the votes necessary to override the Governor's veto. A vote on the matter is expected to take place on Wednesday.

In light of these developments, Vanessa Joy remains determined to fight back, highlighting the growing number of transgender candidates in Ohio who are uniting to combat discriminatory legislation.

It remains unclear whether the three other openly transgender candidates running for the state House will also face disqualification due to the same violation of the little-known name disclosure law.