Minnesota's first transgender lawmaker has been accruing traffic citations under her former name despite being an outspoken critic of anyone who dared to call her that, court records revealed.
Democrat Representative Leigh Finke, 44, has shamed anyone who practices 'deadnaming,' or referring to a transgender or non-binary person by their birth name without consent.
In one instance, she wrote on Facebook that using a trans person's deadname is an 'expression of hate toward transgender people.'
In 2023, she told Fox 9, 'It's impossible to take seriously the idea that we are speaking out of turn at a time when our rights are being taken away; our lives are being belittled, mocked, dehumanized constantly.
'Across the nation in state legislatures, in the capitol, now in DC, we are just hearing constant misgendering, deadnaming, humiliating language.'
Finke legally changed her name and sex in July 2020, court records viewed by the Daily Mail show.
She changed her name from Christopher Leigh Finke to Leigh Dawn Finke, and her sex from male to female.
However, court records also show that Finke has received at least three traffic tickets under her 'deadname' between 2023 and 2025.
Democrat Representative Leigh Finke, 44, has been accruing traffic citations under her former name despite
Finke has been an outspoken critic of anyone who practices 'deadnaming,' or referring to a transgender or non-binary person by their birth name without consent
On March 10, 2023, Finke was cited for failing to abide by winter parking restrictions.
Then, on March 7, 2023, she was issued a citation for failure to display current registration and having expired plates.
On December 3, 2025, Finke was ticketed again for parking overtime in a meter zone, records show.
Court records indicate that Finke was convicted of a petty misdemeanor in each case and ordered to pay a fine.
The Daily Mail has contacted Finke and her party, the Minnesota DFL, for comment.
A spokesperson for the Minnesota House DFL caucus told Alpha News that 'Rep Finke did not update the registration on her vehicle.'
Finke, a former academic, journalist and author, has been making headlines since her 2022 election to the state legislature.
In February, Finke pushed back on an adult site age verification bill, claiming it would prevent children from accessing websites that are 'educational' for LGBTQ youth.
She changed her name from Christopher Leigh Finke to Leigh Dawn Finke, and her sex from male to female in July 2020
Finke, a former academic, journalist and author, has been making headlines since her 2022 election to the state legislature
'You mentioned the [Ken] Paxton case and the AGs in many states are very clear about — they're almost jubilant about being able to use these laws to ban young people from accessing content that could be educational if they are queer,' Finke said.
'And you're a principal, you have LGBT students in your school, and we also know that they're not receiving sex education for queer kids.
'We know that prurient interest, could be for many people, the very existence of transgender kids. More and more people are saying there simply are no transgender kids. To transgender kids, that is a problem.'
She has also publicly called for a 'cementing' of rights for 'trans, nonbinary, two-spirit and intersex individuals in our state constitution.'
In 2023, only three months after taking office, Finke was named the state's 'Woman of the Year' honoree by USA Today.
She was honored alongside several other people - including former First Lady Michelle Obama and the United States women's soccer team.