Democrats in the state of Vermont nominated the nation’s first transgender candidate for governor on Tuesday night after Christine Hallquist managed to beat her Democratic challengers.
Hallquist, a former CEO of an electric company, beat educator Brenda Siegel, environmentalist James Ehlers, and 14-year-old Ethan Sonneborn, Fox News reported.
“That’s how I want to be known in Vermont,” Hallquist told The Associated Press. “Nationally, I want to be known as the first trans candidate.”
Hallquist will face Republican Governor Phil Scott, who survived a primary challenge from businessman Keith Stern after Scott supported gun control measures. – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]The families of three transgender teens are suing an Ohio judge in federal court because he denied their request for a legal name change.
Probate and Juvenile Court Judge Joseph W. Kirby has allowed adults identifying as transgender to legally change their name, but has denied all transgender minors’ requests since March of this year, according to the lawsuit. A magistrate of the same court has granted the name change request to one transgender minor this year.
The lawsuit alleges that Kirby has “instructed that all name change applications from transgender persons be assigned to his docket for a hearing,” noting that name change applications are typically heard by a magistrate judge. “Judge Kirby has not conducted any name change hearings for non-transgender individuals,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also alleges that Kirby “has demonstrated animosity towards transgender adolescents seeking a name change without any rational basis.” The lawsuit claims Kirby has “ignored evidence presented by the parties from medical professionals suggesting that the name change is in the best interest of the child,” appears “unwilling to accept the view of professionals that gender identity may be expressed by adolescents” and appears to believe such adolescents are “motivated because they saw Caitlyn Jenner on television,” is motivated by “pre-existing notions about towards [sic] transgender individuals,” and did not find that the name changes “would involve a potential for fraud, would interfere with the rights of others, would permit the applicant to avoid a legal duty, or were in some way contrary to the strong public policy of the state of Ohio.” – READ MORE