what should be in a carry letter...and do I need one?

[Jo-is-amazing]

Hiya everyone, I'm getting ready to go full time in the next few weeks (essentially just waiting for a haircut and shopping for some summer clothes :p)  and im wondering whether I need to get a carry letter written?

It won't be any difficulty getting one written and I know how useful it can be, and I want to know what's in one...  Normally

I know I need to give a letter to the department of transport for them to change my gender marker, and I plan to send a similar letter in along with my name change documents and I figure having one letter that I can photocopy is better than getting two written.

So I basically wanna know what's in a carry letter? And whether it's ok just to use that instead of getting more letters written?
Thanks everyone
Hugs
Xoxoxoxox

[Devlyn]

This is what the Standards Of Care say:

https://www.susans.org/wiki/Standards_of_Care_for_Gender_Identity_Disorders#Responsibilities_of_Hormone-Prescribing_Physicians

It's note 6 in section 8.8

[MelissaAnn]

Here is a sample letter from Howard Brown Health Center out of Chicago.


[Health Center Name]
[address]

Re Name (aka New name)

To Whom It May Concern

This letter is to serve the purpose of allowing [name] (aka ) a transgender individual, a safe passage through every space. This person is under care at [insert center] in [insert city] and is currently undergoing medical interventions in an effort to transition from the assigned/biological gender of male to the female gender. During transitioning, this person may present with a mixture of male and female secondary sex characteristics (body hair, facial contours, tone of voice, fat distribution on the body), which may leave some observers confused about which gender this person belongs to. This is normal during this time and must be allowed as this person makes transitions to the female gender.

[Name](aka )'s legal documents may still identify her as male. However since name identifies as female transgender individual, she should be afforded the same basic human rights as the other females, such as being referred to as she, having her driver's license reflect her current gender of female and she should be allowed to use the women's restroom. While this person may identify as transgender, this has no implication for her mental stability or competence. [Name] is a high-functioning and emotionally stable individual.

In order to authenticate that this letter is indeed for the person before you, a description of [Name] is included. Her birth date is [ ] and her social security number is [ ]. For your own understanding of my ability to write this letter, I am a member of

, where our mission is to serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender communities. I have specialized in working with transgender individuals for over 3 years and am aware of the laws that protect them and the basic human rights they are warranted.
[This section may be edited to fit the specific credentials of the therapist filling out this letter]

If you have any questions regarding the statements I have made or the authenticity of this letter, feel free to contact me at [phone #]. Thank you in advance for the professional treatment and care that you will provide to [name].

Sincerely,
[name]

[Jo-is-amazing]

Thanks Melissa that's really helpful <3

[Eva Marie]

I know I need to give a letter to the department of transport for them to change my gender marker, and I plan to send a similar letter in along with my name change documents and I figure having one letter that I can photocopy is better than getting two written.

I don't know if you live in the united states or not but if you do a carry letter generally will not suffice at the dmv or for name change purposes - it takes letters written by your doctor in a specific format for that, and I imagine that each dmv probably requires a different letter format for their purposes.

A carry letter is a get out of jail free card written by your therapist that may help you if you get into a scrape - say, some woman reports you for being in the "wrong" restroom and the cops come. The letter explains that you are under medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria and that your presentation in the other gender is required for that treatment. It also explains that you are not up to nefarious things. Mine had the phone number for my therapist as well.

A carry letter carries no legal weight, but it might work to get you out of a tight spot when your ID doesn't match your presentation and you get called on it. I never had to present mine. In some states (ie: Texas) it is illegal to use a restroom that doesn't match your birth sex so if you live in a place like that a carry letter might not help much.