Republican's Transgender Stepdaughter Kicked Off Ballot

A transgender woman who hoped to run for the Ohio House of Representatives has criticized a decision to disqualify her from the race after she failed to use her former name.

Vanessa Joy, who is the stepdaughter of GOP state Representative Bill Roemer, collected all the necessary signatures to run as a Democratic candidate for House District 50, but she was barred from the election after officials said she violated an obscure Ohio law.

Although Joy and Roemer have familial ties, the two do not have a relationship and have never met.

The law, which was enacted in 1995, says that candidates for public office have to list any name changes from the past five years on their signature petitions. Those who changed their name because of marriage are exempt from the law.

Joy, who has legally changed her name, criticized the campaign rule.

"I would have had to have my dead name on my petitions," Joy told Cleveland TV station WEWS. "But 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."

"Dead name" is a term used by the transgender community to describe a former name.

Joy said she wasn't aware of the little-known law. "Something that is that important should have been on the instructions," she said. "It should have been on the petition."

The rule is also not found in the secretary of state's 2024 candidate guide, according to WEWS.

Case Western Reserve University elections law professor Atiba Ellis told WEWS that the law may have been enacted "so that the people and their representatives in the state government would be able to vet that person and know exactly who they are."

Amid increasing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state and across the country, Joy was one of at least four trans people running for the Ohio House.

In June, the Ohio House passed multiple bills targeting LGBTQ+ youth, including House Bill 68. The bill prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender youth and bans "individuals of the male sex" from participating in school athletic teams "designated only for participants of the female sex," among other things. HB 68 was later passed by the Senate and was sent to Governor Mike DeWine for his signature, but last week he vetoed it.

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

At least two of the other current trans candidates were also unaware of the 1995 law and didn't include their dead names on the petitions. They were both certified by their boards, but it is unclear if that will change. Joy has until Friday to appeal her disqualification.

When asked if she thinks the law will prevent other trans people from running for office, Joy said, "Yes, I think it will—undoubtedly."

Update 1/4/24, 4:14 p.m. ET: This story was updated with more background and information.