AUSTIN, Texas — Three transgender women have filed a lawsuit challenging a Texas law that bars federal prison inmates from legally changing their names while in custody and within two years after serving their sentence. They argue that their inability to legally change their names is a cruel and unusual punishment. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton are listed as defendants in the lawsuit filed Wednesday. Attorney Brian McGiverin, the civil rights attorney who filed the petition on behalf of three transgender women, said denying transgender people the right to change their name increases their risk of depression and suicide. A 2018 study showed dead naming, which is when someone refers to transgender person by their previous name, increased suicidal behavior in transgender youth by 56%.

Source: New York Times December 06, 2019 21:56 UTC