{"id":20205,"date":"2024-04-26T19:59:10","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T19:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/?p=20205"},"modified":"2025-02-20T16:52:39","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T16:52:39","slug":"deana-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/deana-story\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Feel Freerer\u2019 Says North Carolina Voter After Getting ID\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deana Brotherton, a trans woman who became unhoused in North Carolina, struggled to obtain a state ID due to bureaucratic barriers and financial constraints. With the help of VoteRiders, Deana successfully obtained her ID in January 2024, enabling her to access essential services and vote in North Carolina\u2019s upcoming elections. After she successfully secures stable housing, Deana plans to work with VoteRiders to change her name and gender marker.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>BY ERIN CARDEN, DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR, VOTERIDERS \u2014 APRIL 26, 2024<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_20208\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20208\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-20208\" src=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/123_1-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\u2018I Feel Freerer\u2019 Says North Carolina Voter After Getting ID\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/123_1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/123_1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/123_1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/123_1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/123_1-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-20208\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deana and her service pup, Sophie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In October 2023, forty-six-year-old Deana Brotherton lost her apartment in North Carolina and became houseless. Without a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/states\/north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">North Carolina state ID<\/a>, she was unable to apply for housing assistance and had to seek temporary lodging at an emergency women\u2019s shelter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people mistakenly think getting an ID is easy. The truth is that for millions of Americans, it\u2019s not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To get an ID, you first need the underlying documents \u2014 like a copy of your birth certificate \u2014 which Deana did not have. To get a new copy of her birth certificate, Deana would have to navigate bureaucracy and paperwork that can be extremely complicated, time-consuming, and confusing. She would also have to pay for her birth certificate \u2014 a cost she could not afford as someone who was now unhoused. With no car, Deana also didn\u2019t have a reliable way to get to the Vital Records Office or her local DMV.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At nineteen years old, Deana suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a drunk driver. It took her almost twenty years to recover.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI have a lack of social, economic, emotional, and human support,\u201d Deanna explained.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen I\u2019m doing everything myself, I get maxed out. It&#8217;s because of my brain trauma. I can only deal with so much. I&#8217;m overwhelmed all the time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, Deanna was able to find some much-needed support at a community health fair at the LGBT Center of Raleigh in December 2023. The fair offered a range of free services including sexual health testing, clothing and voter registration drives, and a booth offering ID information and assistance. Bingo. Deana approached the booth and spoke to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/team\/jenny-mckenney\/?swcfpc=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jenny McKenney<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, VoteRiders\u2019 North Carolina Coordinator, about her situation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jenny assured Deanna that <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.voteriders.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VoteRiders<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> could assist on multiple fronts. Not only could VoteRiders help her <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/freehelp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">track down and pay for a copy of her birth certificate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but they could also help her secure a new North Carolina ID, arrange and pay for transportation to and from the various offices, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> work with the LGBT Center of Raleigh to get her <a href=\"http:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/pride\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">name and gender marker updated<\/a>. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deana was thrilled.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deana has identified as a trans woman her entire life and is eager to change her name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cIt would be awesome not having to hear the name \u2018Damian\u2019 when I go to cash a check,\u201d she said. \u201cIt would be awesome to hear, \u2018Deana,\u2019 my female name, when they call me name at the DMV. It would make me feel more complete. It&#8217;s weird having to say to people, \u2018By the way, I&#8217;m a girl, but you&#8217;re going to have to use a male name because it&#8217;s legal.\u2019 \u201c\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Deana has not yet had the ability to change her name, hormone therapy has allowed her to feel more confident.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen I started taking hormones six years ago, I felt this whole new respect from people because I felt like this was my proof that I&#8217;m for real,\u201d she explained. \u201cPeople tend to think that somebody taking hormone pills is being artificial, going against God, changing my humanity. No. We\u2019re all born like an unlocked iPhone. At the very last second, right before we\u2019re born, the X-Y chromosomes decide the little body part down there. And then while we&#8217;re growing up, it\u2019s our hormones that tell our DNA what to do. DNA is like a Duncan &amp; Hines recipe and the cook is either male or female. All I&#8217;m doing is telling my DNA what the correct way is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deana\u2019s journey with hormone therapy has not been easy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cI don&#8217;t have anybody helping me with these hormones, no one to assure me that the results are on point,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to find somebody who&#8217;s knowledgeable or comfortable with trans people. It&#8217;s 2024. I don&#8217;t understand. Trans people have always been here. We didn&#8217;t just pop out of the woods, so why would an endocrinologist stay away from trans people? They should treat the health and well-being of all humans.\u201c<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to facing barriers to equitable healthcare, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/pride\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">trans and nonbinary people also face hurdles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when it comes to accessing the ID they need to register and vote safely. In April 2023, North Carolina reinstated a law <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.voteriders.org\/states\/north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">requiring ID at the polls<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, after it was previously struck down for being unconstitutional. If Deana is asked for ID when she goes to vote in North Carolina\u2019s runoff election on May 14 and every election after that, she\u2019ll have her new North Carolina ID to show. Like many voter ID law critics, Deanna feels these laws are intentionally discriminatory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhy do I have to show ID to exercise my right to vote?\u201d She asked. \u201cWhat matters is that I\u2019m a citizen and I have the right to vote. I don&#8217;t think they need to know my race, my gender, or what I look like. It&#8217;s another way to discriminate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Deana\u2019s name and gender marker are finally updated, she will have the ID she needs to cast a ballot with complete confidence. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Deana, voting is a way to be engaged, a way to take action, and a way to shape her environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cIf you have a beating heart, you should take part,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople get mad that everybody is always buried on their phones. Well, guess what? Give me something productive, make me feel a part of it and I&#8217;ll forget my phone. People check out if you don&#8217;t give them something to check <em>in<\/em> to.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks to Jenny and VoteRiders\u2019 North Carolina volunteer team, Deana successfully secured a new copy of her birth certificate and received her North Carolina state ID in January 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI&#8217;m able to do a lot more now that I have an ID,\u201d Deanna explained. \u201dBeing able to show a plastic card to identify myself is like getting into a club as far as life goes, and getting services and getting things done. I can go to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rhaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raleigh Housing Authority<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and apply for housing. My ID was also very instrumental in making sure I enrolled in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/acp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Affordable Connectivity Program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before the cutoff. I can also now sell my phone at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoatm.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EchoATM<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and make a few bucks and then I can go downtown and get a free <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifewireless.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obama phone<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I can volunteer, apply for things, and go to food pantries. I feel freer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Deana is eager to change her name as soon as possible, she has decided to\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">focus on using her new ID to secure stable housing first. Once she is securely housed, she then plans to shift her focus and work on changing her name and updating her gender marker. She looks forward to the day when her legal name is Deana, her legal gender is female, and she has keys to her very own apartment. When this day comes, Deana plans to pay a surprise visit to her mother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI want to surprise my mom \u2014 as her daughter,\u201d she said. \u201cHopefully I have my apartment keys in my pocket too. My mom&#8217;s been there with me every step of the way. We&#8217;ve been like two buddies since I popped out of her. I know that&#8217;ll be an amazing moment for her and an amazing moment for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Deana Brotherton, a trans woman who became unhoused in North Carolina, struggled to obtain a state ID due to bureaucratic barriers and financial constraints. With the help of VoteRiders, Deana successfully obtained her ID in January 2024, enabling her to access essential services and vote in North Carolina\u2019s upcoming elections. After she successfully secures stable [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":20208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[710,113],"tags":[316,320,308,344,343,381,339],"class_list":["post-20205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-save-stories","category-voter-stories","tag-north-carolina","tag-transgender","tag-voter-id","tag-voter-id-assistance","tag-voter-id-education","tag-voter-id-info","tag-voter-id-laws","state-nc"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.4 (Yoast SEO v26.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u2018I Feel Freerer\u2019 Says North Carolina Voter After Getting ID\u00a0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A trans woman who became unhoused in North Carolina obtained a state ID with 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