Delaware Governor backs proposal to allow name changes for trans prisoners
A proposal has been filed, at the Governor’s request, to allow prisoners in Delaware to change their names based on their gender.
Currently the law only allows name changes based on religious belief.
Democrat politican James Johnson has sponsored the proposal, saying it is “only fair”, which comes after a trans man has his request to change his legal name denied twice.
Kai Short is serving 55 years for a variety of offences including burglary and “aggravated menacing”. He is currently an inmate of a women’s prison.
Lawyers for Mr Short have now paused their fight for his name change, and intend to resume it only if this bill fails.
A spokesperson for Governor Jack Markell said, according to Delaware Online: “The governor supports the Department Of Corrections’s ongoing efforts to make reasonable accommodations for inmates in their care and this bill is in line with those efforts.”
