So there have been times in my life where I have had to provide all of my previous names (maiden name, married name, etc. etc.) when filling out forms. It’s part of the gig associated with changing a name.
Am I happy about it? Not really–it’s a pain in my ass. And you haven’t lived until your SSN was screamed across a busy lobby at the power company or having a complete stranger go through the details of a divorce to get to the part where the name change was listed. However, for legal purposes, it’s sometimes necessary.
Why, you may be asking, is any of this a thing? Because some dude claiming to be a woman legally changed his name. And ran for office. Only to have his petition denied because he didn’t provide his previous name (he says he didn’t know the law).
“It’s a barrier to entry for many trans and gender-nonconforming people,” Joy told NBC News in an interview on Thursday. “Where I personally would have just bit the bullet and allowed my deadname to be on the petitions and likely on the ballot, for a lot of trans people, they don’t want their deadnames printed. It’s a safety concern for many.”
In a separate interview with WEWS, Joy stated: “In the trans community, our dead names are dead. There’s a reason it’s dead—that is a dead person who is gone and buried.”
So sorry buttercup, but it’s part of the female experience that’s rarely discussed (mainly women change names on a regular basis). And for some women, it’s a safety issue as well, depending on their personal situation.
Welcome to the party. If this keeps him and his ilk from running for office, that’s on them.
Midwest Chick's Place 
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