TRANSCENDENT: While GOP attacks trans rights, Dems double down on protecting them
While the political right moves to make life harder for transgender people in the U.S., Democrats in at least two states are working on proposals that would improve safety and potentially reduce harassment.
In both California and Washington, lawmakers are bringing forward new bills that would allow name changes to be sealed under certain circumstances.
In Washington, the bill in question has already passed the State Senate and moved on to the House.
It would amend the process of seeking a legal name change so that acceptable reasons for having the document sealed are expanded to include name changes “related to gender expression or identity” as well as to refugees, emancipated minors, and victims of stalking.
The California bill specifically addresses name changes for minors, and rather than merely allowing, it requires the action to be sealed.
It has not yet been voted on in the state legislature, but directly addresses the danger of being “outed,” and affirms that “[a]llowing our children to choose when and how they decide to share their personal details is vital in protecting their mental and physical health.”
Both bills come as transgender Americans see their legislators joining in attacks aimed at shutting them out of the military, sports, and other aspects of public life.
Teachers have been forbidden to acknowledge the existence of the gender spectrum to their students, and in Texas, Child Protective Services was even ordered to investigate families that support their trans kids.
These new legislative efforts push back on discrimination, and supporters believe they could reduce the harassment transgender folks may face when schoolmates and others can find their name change through an internet search. From ABC:
In states where such petitions aren’t sealed, transgender people can be susceptible to cyberbullying or even physical violence because their previous names, and by extension their lives, are an open book in the public record, advocates warn. Students, for instance, can and do easily find and share such records when they are looking for background on a new kid in town, one advocate noted.
The California bill can be read in full here, and the full text of the Washington legislation is here.
