Thanks all for your comments.
Dryad -- I agree with you and think I've said as much in my posts. Finding out I had two names could simply be viewed as, "she lied." Not hiring me could be because of that lie rather than discriminatory intent. There is the oddity, though, that the names are two genders. Hmm, better stay away, in any case.
Madison -- Thanks for your suggestion. I've considered returning to editing but the type of editing I did is ending due to a technology change. Besides, between high stress there could be endless days of typing. During those days of nonstop typing, I sometimes would daydream that prisoners who had televisions in cells had better lives than I was having (presumably the reality is different but that was my daydream). Besides, I don't really want to travel an hour or more each day to get to Seattle to work. That's not my idea of semi-retirement. Target would at least have offered me a chance to be out of the confines of an office (my cell), meeting new people.
I received the letter from Target that included the "background check" from Choice Point Workplace Solutions in North Carolina. They enclosed a Transunion (talk about an ironic name, lol) report that indicated I had a "high risk fraud alert." It would be funny if the result (not being hired) wasn't such a negative incident for me. I wasn't surprised to read that fraud alert, although I'd never actually seen a report of mine with that on it: I knew about it because I WAS THE ONE WHO PUT THAT FRAUD ALERT ON by alerting the credit companies that a man I knew had threatened me (nothing to do with transsexualism). Funny how something I created myself could now be misinterpreted ("hoisted by my own pitard"). I wish they could have said "Self-imposed fraud alert" on my account. I guess, regardless of who put it on though, it still creates what I intended, an alert or credit block. In New York, a friend tells me, people are now allowed to "BLOCK" their own credit so that people don't open credit cards in their name (identity theft). I think it's not a permanent thing in New York - you have to renew it occassionally. The California laws, I guess, have allowed me to keep my fraud alert active for years. I've always liked that protection - feeling safe - but now, ironically, it's come back and kicked me, lol.
Second discovery: Transunion LISTS my current (FEMALE) name as #1 with a history of three addresses. One is my current address, one is the right old address but wrong PO box number and one is my best friend's address here in Washington. Regarding my friend's address, the only thing I can figure is that I charged something to an online store and had the package sent to my friend's address (without changing my billing address). Why the credit company would think I moved there is beyond me.
Transunion then LISTS my PREVIOUS (MALE) NAME twice as #2 and #3 (exact same spelling). They have various addresses listed under #2 and #3 -- addresses where I did indeed used to live. Again, the odd thing is that one of the addresses is my mother's old address. I had my mail forwarded there by the post office for three weeks (when I was recuperating from SRS). I didn't move there and never changed my billing addressses but, oddly, they again have that as one of my addresses.
My birth certificate, by the way, having been issued in the 50's, didn't have a social security number on it. Both names (female and male) on the Transunion report have the same (partial) social security number and the same start date (in the sixties) for that number.
Bottom line, reading the short report, I can see why Target passed on me -- A fraud alert and two names? It's like those horrible Citibank identity theft commercials where they show an identity thief with a low voice and, on screen, a woman mouthing the words (HATE IT!). Would Target want to hire this person to handle credit cards as a cashier? Credit numbers she can steal? I wouldn't. It doesn't sound, as I'd presumed, like bigotry. As my friend pointed out, Target has plenty of people to choose from. The Target (form) letter advises that, if any of the things on the report are untrue, I should talk to Choice Point (or Transunion).
It's a dilemma. I'd love to talk to Transunion and ask them anonymously -- "I'm a transsexual and I notice on your Transunion report on me that you list both of my previous names. Is there a way I can get you to take my old name off?" They would probably ACT very sincere and say, "Well, we wish we could take it off but, after all, that's part of your legal records." In the back of their minds, they might be thinking of that Citibank commercial.
If I talk to Transunion on the record (using my real name and social security number), will this information gathering agency record the information in their computers that I'm a transsexual? Why not? Might be of use later. Would they share THAT, too? Presumably, they wouldn't. If they put "transsexual" on paper, they open themselve to be sued for revealing discriminatory information.
Ah, tangled webs I weave. I don't mean to deceive but when, exactly, can I get this new life and leave my past in the past? Dual names on credit reports is something that can affect, in a serious way, many of us. I guess legislation might help. Amy T presumably still has the only solution for now - change my social security number. More hoops to jump through, lol.
Teri Anne - by the way, not my real name either (whatta lier!) - it's my Susan's name.
P.S. - I changed the SUBJECT TITLE in the Susan's lead post:
Old title: "I can't even get an $8 an hour job at Target! Bigotry rules!
New title: "I can't even get an $8 an hour job at Target! "Background Report" with two names!"
I think, as stated above, it's not because of "bigotry" that they withdrew the job offer -- it's because of I appear to be a fraud criminal with two names. It's not, as I thought earlier, Target's fault, so I think my first (emotional) headline is inaccurate. For awhile, I was feeling like I'd never want to shop at Target again. Now, I certainly don't hold anything against them. My apologies to them. They're back to being, in my eyes, a stylish company with polite hard working people.
