Democrats pass bill to protect trans people from “harassment and harm”

[Jessica_Rose]

Democrats pass bill to protect trans people from "harassment and harm"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-pass-bill-to-protect-trans-people-from-harassment-and-harm/ar-AA1xcxCF?ocid=windirect&cvid=0b488088357444478c344f811265a262&ei=212

Story by Greg Owen (14 Jan 2025)

The Illinois House and Senate have passed a bill that will make name changes for transgender people and victims of domestic violence easier, proponents say. But Republicans claim it's an invitation from Illinois for immigrant criminals to evade federal authorities and commit crimes in the Land of Lincoln.

The bill... repeals a requirement for those seeking a name change to publish a notice in a local newspaper.

"We are forcing survivors of domestic violence, of human trafficking, people who are trans, to out themselves. For what?" bill sponsor Rep. Kevin Olickal (D) said Tuesday. "It doesn't serve a public safety purpose. It only seeks to serve predators and violent extremists who want to find victims, track them down. People want to live in peace. This bill is about privacy and protection."

Mike Ziri, public policy director for Equality Illinois, said his organization "regularly" hears from transgender people in Illinois who fear publishing details about their name change.

In addition to dropping the archaic newspaper announcement, the bill also allows those seeking a name change to ask the court to "impound" related court documents, a similar, though less restrictive procedure to "sealing" court documents.

The bill also reduces the residency requirement for changing a name from six months to three.