Joanna Whaley, a transgender woman running for Michigan state representative, is fighting a legal challenge filed by a fellow Democratic candidate who alleges she made a false statement by not using her birth name on her filing.
It’s a challenging time for journalism. Corporate consolidation is forcing newsrooms to shut down, and the very concept of a free press is facing daily attacks.
The traditional media model is breaking and HuffPost relies on you. Joanna Whaley was on the phone with a member of her campaign team when she received an email from the county clerk’s office saying that her candidacy was being challenged.
Frank Liberati, a fellow Democratic candidate for Michigan state representative, had filed a complaint against Whaley, a transgender woman, alleging that she had made a “false statement” and skirted state election law because she did not list her birth name when she filed to run for office.
“I thought it was spam,” Whaley told HuffPost. “But I opened it and saw it was an actual legal document. I expected this from Republicans, but not from my primary candidates in the Democratic Party. ” Whaley, 38, is running in Michigan’s crowded primary race for state representative in the 2nd House District in Downriver, a Detroit suburb.
If elected, Whaley would become one of the first trans state legislators in Michigan.legally changing her name last year, is now fighting to stay on the ballot. Last week, she filed a response to Liberati’s complaint with the Wayne County Clerk’s office, arguing that she should be allowed to remain on the ballot. The complaint is still pending. The Wayne County Clerk’s office said it could not comment prior to the clerk making an official decision.
Liberati alleges that Whaley did not formally change her name after starting the process in 2023, referencing a lapsed court proceeding from that year. Whaley said she could not afford the fees to finish her legal name change at that time. She was able to finish the process in 2025, and then asked the court to seal the records as she had become a more public figure in the Detroit area and was concerned about her safety.
Liberati, who previously represented Michigan’s 13th District in 2014, did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. Generally, Michigan election law requires candidates to list their current and former names on the ballot and indicate any name changes on their application verifying their identity.
However, the law creates an exception that allows candidates to include a “common law name” on the ballot, meaning a name that someone is generally known by for a significant period of time. Whaley has used her name for about five years. Last fall, Whaley voluntarily shared her dead name in her affidavit of identity “in an effort to not mislead the Elections Division…despite having no legal obligation to do so,” according to a court filing by Whaley’s lawyer.
As a result, the Michigan Secretary of State’s website listed her dead name for a month without her knowledge.
“That’s when the threats started escalating,” she said. “People using my dead name on all our social media channels. The threats to my life just started getting out of control. ” These kinds of threats to trans rights are part of the reason Whaley was inspired to run for office in the first place.
She watched last spring as the current state representative for District 2, Democrat Tullio Liberati — who is Frank Liberati’s brother and is retiring — voted alongsideWhaley was surprised to see a member of her own party “punch down” at trans kids, and she wanted to show up as a candidate who was ready to stick up for everyday Michiganders.
“The loudest, most vocal group of people who are the worst to me are the people I share a faith with. I’m still a Christian. So Frank’s challenge to me — well, that was just another Tuesday. ”Before entering politics, Whaley spent two decades as an evangelical pastor at some of the country’s largest megachurches, including some that espoused what she calls Christian nationalist ideals.
She said she was subjected to 15 years of conversion therapy before coming out as transgender at the age of 34 and being forced to resign from her role at a Michigan megachurch. Whaley said the amount of hatred she has experienced from fellow Christians is “unbelievable. ” Today, she works as a clinical chaplain, offering spiritual guidance to patients in intensive care units and during end-of-life care.
“The loudest, most vocal group of people who are the worst to me are the people I share a faith with. I’m still a Christian,” she said.
“So Frank’s challenge to me — well, that was just another Tuesday. ” While the fate of her candidacy remains unclear, Whaley is still focused on reaching out to voters. Her progressive campaign is focused on kitchen table issues like lowering costs and implementing a single-payer healthcare system. Her campaign has been endorsed by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and Run for Something, two progressive political organizations.
“I’ve been down harder roads than this,” she said. “But that’s what our community wants, is someone who can get punched in the face and keep going. They want to know the person representing them isn’t going to fold. ” The Michigan Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus condemned the attempt to remove Whaley from the primary election ballot.
“During a time of increasing and relentless attacks on the trans community, submitting this sort of meritless challenge to the Wayne County Clerk serves no purpose but to stoke the flames of transphobia for personal gain,” the caucus wrote in aAs the nationwide political attacks against transgender people have increased, there have been several attempts to invalidate or remove transgender candidates from local ballots.from a race for a House seat due to a seldomly enforced state law that required her to put her dead name on her candidate petition.
That year, Arienne Childrey, another trans woman running in Ohio, faced astripped transgender residents of their driver’s licenses overnight, and legal experts warn this will make voting, even for those who try to comply with the new law, more challenging and possibly dangerous.
“At the end of the day, on both sides of the ticket, everyone I’m running with is obsessed with my name and my genitalia,” Whaley said. “But I am obsessed with what the people of our community are asking for help with. We cannot afford to keep going the way things are going.
”Red State Residents In Chaos After Lawmakers Yank Their Driver's Licenses, Birth CertificatesBy entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our
Joanna Whaley Michigan Election Transgender Rights Ballot Challenge Democratic Primary
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Democratic Strategist Unloads 'Nasty' NSFW Nickname For TrumpJaz Tolliver has been a trends reporter for the HuffPost since 2022. She relishes any opportunity to write about pop culture, gaming, politics, and the best movies and TV shows. Jaz, a Miami native, has previously written for the Seattle Times, WPBF 25 News, Boca Magazine, The Palm Beach Post, and more.
Read more »
Chedrick Greene wins Michigan special election, ensuring Democrats keep control of state SenateSAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — Democrat Chedrick Greene won a special election in Michigan on Tuesday, securing the party’s control of the state Senate through the remainder of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s term.
Read more »
Key takeaways from primary elections in Indiana, Ohio and MichiganWhile Trump still dominates the Republican Party, Democrats seem to have the momentum ahead of November’s midterms
Read more »
Chedrick Greene wins Michigan special election, ensuring Democrats keep control of state SenateSAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — Democrat Chedrick Greene won a special election in Michigan on Tuesday, securing the party’s narrow control of the state Senate through the remainder of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s term.
Read more »
Teen boy, woman shot and killed in Michigan after dispute over soccer gameA young man who was turned away from an informal soccer game in Michigan fatally shot a 14-year-old boy and killed a woman who tried to help the victim, all in the presence of other kids, police said.
Read more »
Michigan Teen Accused Of Fatally Shooting 2 People After Dispute Over Soccer GamePolice in Grand Rapids say the unidentified 18-year-old suspect killed a teenage boy and a woman after he was turned away from an informal soccer game.
Read more »