This afternoon, the Libertarian Party of Nevada stood with the ACLU and TAGNevada in support of SB110, a bill that will exempt trans individuals from the legal requirement to publish notice of a name change in a newspaper for three weeks. This requirement poses not only a handout to crony capitalist newspapers, but also a violation of the privacy of trans people who may be outed by the requirement - or targeted with harassment or violence if listed publicly. SB110 removes a privacy-destroying bureaucratic requirement for trans people, and the LP looks forward to supporting it as it moves through the legislature.

Below is the statement I read at this afternoon's hearing:

Good afternoon. I am Wendy Stolyarov, Legislative Director for the Libertarian Party of Nevada, and I am here to share the Libertarian Party's strong support for SB110.

We believe that, in a just society, the government must safeguard the civil rights of its citizens; that trans people must be defended; and that SB110 represents exactly such a defense of their civil rights. Structural oppression like the required publication of a gender-dysphoric name change may be invisible to many, but to those affected by it, it is exceedingly burdensome. Our society is still, unfortunately, frequently transphobic, and the required publication of a name change for trans people is both needlessly painful and potentially dangerous for individuals who simply want to live their lives freely, as themselves.

Protecting trans people by removing harmful barriers like this one is not only compassionate, but practical, and fully in line with our country's cherished right to privacy. The unrelenting pursuit of justice for all is a core principle of the American experiment, and SB110 represents another important step in that journey.

For these reasons, the Libertarian Party of Nevada thanks the sponsors and co-sponsors of SB110, and wholeheartedly endorses the measure.

Wendy Stolyarov is the Legislative Director of the Libertarian Party of Nevada.

Nevada Legislature Building, Carson City, Nevada by Ken Lund is licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.