Is it worth changing gender marker?

[DarkWolf_7]

According to where I live, the rules do not require SRS in order to change gender marker, just approval from a gender specialist. But down the road I wonder is it worth changing gender marker or no?

My concerns is if I do then my health insurance is going to cover the wrong things and I am envisioning someday in the way future of the doctor suggesting a prostate exam and having to explain that I don't have one.

But if I don't and I ever end up passing and my gender marker says "female" that is also an awkward situation.

So is it worth it or no? Also what point in the process did you change your gender marker if you have? Thanks.

[Muffinheart]

My marker is changed, and I received a letter for a cervix screening for a cervix I don't have. I just tossed it in the garbage. My family doc knows what I need.
Gender marker and getting SRS are two different things. Just changing marker wouldn't change much or fix who I am down "there"....it's just a letter on a document.

[suzifrommd]

If you are in the US, I believe the ACA requires insurers to cover the procedures you need, even if you are trans.

I found it helpful to change my gender marker. Everytime I went to a Dr's office, they would call out Mr. G____ because my chart said male, because my insurance said male, because my employer said male, because social security said male. Once I got my social security fixed, that never happened again.

[Dex]

I got my gender markers changed on the things I could as I could do them. When I got my name legally changed (I was about 2 months on T at that time), I got my gender marker changed with social security and my passport (US federal regulations do not require SRS), and at the DMV (since my state allows that much without SRS). So most of my public facing documentation is changed.

For my birth certificate to be changed, in my state it does require SRS. I wasn't sure if top surgery was "enough" for my state (I had that at about 5 months on T) but I decided to wait to have my birth certificate changed until I had a hysterectomy. I figured why make it any more difficult with insurance than it had to be. Since I've had problems with those organs since puberty, I didn't want to spoil any chances of it being covered since it truly is medically indicated in my case. Since T didn't stop the pain I'd always had with those organs, I am recovering now from my hysterectomy. Since I don't really have many (if any) more female specific organs left to worry about or potentially need to seek care for, I think I will be looking into getting my birth certificate changed probably in the next year or so which will then allow me to get my insurance and medical records changed to male.

I have heard of guys whose insurance had "male" as their gender marker who continued to get coverage for care with those female organs, but in some cases they had to work through appeals processes in order to get it covered.

[Jerri]

I found that for me travelling, anything that required ID was a total trigger after starting full time, so it was an easy choice for me to have the correct gender marker. every one is going to have reasons to change it or not, it is really up to each person to decide what works for the life they are living and the restrictions that are imposed in the area we live. as far as insurance and medical coverage goes both know that I am transgender and it has not presented a problem to date. probally not much clarity with all this but I would not want that guy I used to know have any door into my life...tehe

Jerri

[makipu]

Hi DarkWolf, like you it wasn't a requirement for me to have surgery or hormones for me to change my gender marker. I thought about it a bit and for me it simply came down to how strongly I felt wrong and disturbed about it saying F on my ID. When I got the annoying notifications and letters  for a F. related problem;a pap smear from my insurance continuously and even was asked every single time I called my customer service, I just refused and disregarded it saying that I will not be having such thing.
I however still have F. in my health insurance and all other documents, while ONLY my state ID is changed to M. I find that this means A LOT to me personally.  I am not regretting doing this even though I don't really pass (for being naturally nonbinary) but I don't and shouldn't care what others think of me. 
The reason I still keep the F in the insurance is I need to have the F related problems fixed down there.

[Megan Rose]

I only had a female name and an "M" on my ID for two weeks while they processed the paperwork.

It was amazing how much that "M" stood out.   No way would I not change it.

[StrykerXIII]

I received a letter for a cervix screening for a cervix I don't have.

This made me laugh way harder than it should have.

[Felix]

It was worth it for me just to alleviate dysphoria. My insurance wasn't affected. They got confused and mixed up about gendered treatments and authorizations before I changed the marker, and they still do afterward.

[CB]

Once I changed my name/gender marker the NHS automatically sends me invites for cervical smears and mamograms.  I told them the smear wasn't necessary but they still send me reminders that i haven't shown up.

I also was going to be a subject in a clinical study as a "normal control". I was asked about the timing of my periods as it could affect when they did it. I like froze up for a few seconds as I wasn't sure what to say, got an apology for making me uncomfortable, before I replied "uh... uh...it's not going to be an issue trust me, ".  A couple of days later I got rejected on the grounds of "early menopause" and noticed the age criteria are dropped below  40!   

[DarkWolf_7]

Thanks to all the replies.

I hadn't realized you could just get your ID changed and not your birth certificate and health insurance. I haven't changed my legal name yet and I was going to wait on the gender marker change but maybe I could get them both changed at the same time? 

[jenifer_n]

NYS allows a gender change on the driver's license now with just a letter so I went ahead and changed it - I am not yet out at work but no one there is ever going to question me using men's room - 90% of the rest of my life I present female and just in case someone wants to question my restroom usage I have that "F" on the license if I ever need it - name change will wait until I retire

jenifer

[makipu]

I think it can be done together because my therapist asked me if I wanted to also change my name along with the gender marker but I didn't because I like my (genderless) name.

[Mariah]

It's totally up to you, but already being full time in my case and do to work I needed get mine changed. The other advantage is those times where not having it updated can making things very awkward. I have to take my mom to her military ID card renewed this fall. Since the office that deals with those cards is on another part of the base, I have to stop at the gate and get a pass to take her on. I'm glad that all my legal documents are changed because dealing with the military and leaving them any sliver of my past to identify me by would make things much more uncomfortable for me desphoria wise. Hugs and good luck
Mariah

[Jayvin]

Personally, I kept my gender marker (F) in case something were to happen to me. Mostly like if for some unforeseeable reason, I'm arrested. Nobody questions my gender, they just assume it was a mistake on my ID.