Ohio actually has a law that says if you legally change your name within the last 5 years, it has to be on the petition. In the article it mentions that there is no place for a previous name (dead name in this instance) on the petition, and the Secretary of State’s candidate guide doesn’t mention this requirement at all.
Apparently other trans candidates had their petitions accepted with no problem.
I mean defending blatant transphobia is inherently transphobic.
Yeah you can argue that the law is just being followed but the point is it’s only being followed because the person is trans.