background check paranoia

[clydeT]

How des a name change show up on a background check?

I had my name changed last fall, and since then I have tried to live as stealth as possible. I need to move into a new apartment, and the landlady wants to do a background and credit check. So will the background check tell her that my name has been changed, or just show whether or not I have any felonies? Is there a risk it won't go through if I don't tell her up front?  I'm getting super-paranoid about this.

[tvc15]

It helps if you haven't established work or credit history under your old name. I didn't start working until after I'd changed my name. So far I've had a couple background checks run on me in a few different situations, and my old name didn't come up. When I set up a bank account I even watched them run my SSN for my credit history, and nothing showed up. I don't know what would happen if you did have significant histories under your old name. I know it's important to be stealth but even if something came up I wouldn't be too worried. Just say it used to be your name and leave it at that, you probably won't have to do a lot of explaining.

[Nicole]

I'm so glad that here in Australia landlords cannot look at a persons history & background outside of work & rental history.

Having said that, I now own my own house so don't have to worry about it.

Surely thou all records can be changed into your new name. Thats what I did here, school records, everything.

[tgchar21]

It helps if you haven't established work or credit history under your old name. I didn't start working until after I'd changed my name. So far I've had a couple background checks run on me in a few different situations, and my old name didn't come up. When I set up a bank account I even watched them run my SSN for my credit history, and nothing showed up. I don't know what would happen if you did have significant histories under your old name. I know it's important to be stealth but even if something came up I wouldn't be too worried. Just say it used to be your name and leave it at that, you probably won't have to do a lot of explaining.

What is quoted here basically sums up a typical U.S. background check for employment or renting purposes - if your name is changed before you have any "adult" (e.g. work, credit) records established under your former name then you'll be on basically the same footing as someone whose name was changed as a child for adoption or other reasons (and if you are asked about other names you've used you can follow the advice I gave in a recent thread on the general TS forum where you can answer in an alternate way that does not out you). Once you start accumulating records that show up when they trace your SSN, then unfortunately if any of those are tied to your former name they will likely show up (unless you can change your SSN, which is theoretically possible but very hard for TSs to do). For any child/teenage transitioners on here who know for sure they want to transition, that's why you ought to change your name legally (even if you can't do the same for your gender) before working or establishing credit (and if your parents don't want to help you then do the same as soon as you can on your own).

[Alex55]

I am having a similar problem.  I am from the U.S and I have applied for two high profile jobs.  I have changed my name, birth certificate and SSN to reflect my gender.  I am stealth, and have had one of the two job interviews which went fine.  I am worried that when they run my credit/background check my birth name will come up.  So if the company I have applied to asks about it, I am not sure at this point what I will say.  I do know one of the jobs is gender friendly, but once they find out my birth name they may have another impression of me, you just don't know for sure if the interviewer is transphobic or not.

[clydeT]

Thanks for the responses, I'm 26 so I have a work history etc. under my old name.
The background check is being conducted through a third party website, and I'll be able to look at the infomation before releasing it to the landlord. The site claims it is only letting them know my criminal history (I don't have one) and credit score, so hopefully nothing about my name will show up.

[randomroads]

I'm so glad that here in Australia landlords cannot look at a persons history & background outside of work & rental history.

That scares me. That means that a sex offender can live right next to a family of 5 and no one will know. I like the fact that here in the US landlords have the right to screen out creeps and felons from their neighborhoods. In fact, I make it a point to live in areas where it's apparent that landlords thoroughly screen tenants so that I have a more solid sense of security while outside of my home walking around. I don't have to worry about a convicted rapist living next door making me his next victim.

[aleon515]

Depends what kind of background check. A lot of them are really only looking for criminal history. So if you have no criminal history nothing really shows. It doesn't cross check your whole identity-- though i guess the capacity exists to do that sort of thing.

--Jay

[Dawn Heart]

That scares me. That means that a sex offender can live right next to a family of 5 and no one will know. I like the fact that here in the US landlords have the right to screen out creeps and felons from their neighborhoods. In fact, I make it a point to live in areas where it's apparent that landlords thoroughly screen tenants so that I have a more solid sense of security while outside of my home walking around. I don't have to worry about a convicted rapist living next door making me his next victim.

I have a different mindset about criminal histories. We are all different in our opinions and I respect everyone's right to think what they do about anything and everything. That said, I think criminal histories should ONLY be available to police officers, judges and prosecutors, jail staff, and those with special authorization in the criminal justice and professional licensing systems. When someone has paid for their crime and the sentence has been served, there is absolutely no reason they should not have the ability to re-establish their lives as law abiding citizens.

We cannot keep placing restrictions on the rights of people who have done the time for their crime. Obviously, repeat sex offenders and murderers should not be working with children in any professional capacity, nor should they be given any professional license that would give them access to children IF their victim(s) were under 18. Even the person with the most disgusting criminal histories need to live somewhere that is substantially safe and healthy just like us, or else we force them back into a life of crime. People with criminal convictions of any sort should be able to have education and job / career options that place them into a stable life so as to prevent recidivism. I'm not saying they should be placed in sensitive positions of trust if that would mean breaching the safety and well being of others, or putting the at risk offender into the path of overwhelming temptation.

I'm only talking about using common sense. There has to come a point in time when someone can start over and have chances to improve themselves. 

[tgchar21]

Another issue with the sex offender registry is that a lot of people on there don't belong - such as those whose crime was merely urinating in public or an 18-year-old having sex with a 16-year-old whose parents pushed for prosecution simply because they didn't like the relationship. Personally I think the real violent and repeat offenders should be kept where they belong - in prison - and to make room for them we need to stop putting people there for trivial offenses like selling illegal drugs.

[aleon515]

They wouldn't give me any amt of comfort. People think of sex crimes as being committed by strangers. Actually this is rarely the case. Most sex crimes, in the case of children, are committed by brothers, fathers, and uncles, etc.
I don't believe in registries like this. The can violate basically innocent people's civil rights for life and are a "feel good" piece of legislation.

If criminal background checks pull up your status as someone with a gender change, sadly, they also criminalize being trans.
As long as under either name you committed no crime, you shouldn't signal anything. Now I don't know if this is always the case, though.

--Jay