Gender Changing and Name Changing based on new gender Question.

[PeterSteele]

Sorry isn't the best title but anyways.. I've read on Wikipedia (Not the best site) that Texas (Where I live) and other states, You have to have a SRS before you can get your gender changed on your certificate. Well I'm wondering what does that fully mean? Like do you have to have Top Surgery and Bottom Surgeries to be allowed to do so? Or since I'm FTM do you have to have a Top Surgery and hysterectomy to be fully counted as a male so be able to do so? I'm just wondering cause the only information I got was you need to have SRS before changing your gender on certificate. Also would this be the same with name changes that are the gender your transitioning to?

[purplewuggybird]

Name changes are separate from gender changes--and usually easier to get because anyone can change their name regardless of transgender or not.


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[JenniferLopezgomez]

Name changes are separate from gender changes--and usually easier to get because anyone can change their name regardless of transgender or not.


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This is indeed usually correct inside the United States. In much or most of the world even a name change is much more difficult, and in many countries gender change is illegal.

[JenniferLopezgomez]

Here is the single best reliable info source I've ever found for name change info and gender change info inside the United States. Here is their link for Texas:

http://www.transequality.org/documents/state/texas

Your name change looks like maybe just moderate hoops to jump through. You should be okay on that but maybe allow some months for this -- not sure.

It looks much more difficult in Texas to get a gender change. That looks rather ominous to me that apparently court officials drag their feet or perhaps refuse to help do gender changes. If this happens to YOU, one possible solution is to change your federal documents like passport and/or social security gender first. Here is the link you need for that:

http://www.transequality.org/know-your-rights/passports

If you get a female name and female gender USA passport and you are a Texas resident I would think that the Texas courts and Texas judges will have to obey Federal law since Federal law supersedes state law. But if they refuse to honor your valid female gender United States Passport such as I have, you might have to sue them in Federal Court if they refuse. You will WIN in Federal Court but it might take awhile. National trans organization might give you free legal help on this if all of this happens to you.  But hopefully you won't have a problem.

[PeterSteele]

Here is the single best reliable info source I've ever found for name change info and gender change info inside the United States. Here is their link for Texas:

http://www.transequality.org/documents/state/texas

Your name change looks like maybe just moderate hoops to jump through. You should be okay on that but maybe allow some months for this -- not sure.

It looks much more difficult in Texas to get a gender change. That looks rather ominous to me that apparently court officials drag their feet or perhaps refuse to help do gender changes. If this happens to YOU, one possible solution is to change your federal documents like passport and/or social security gender first. Here is the link you need for that:

http://www.transequality.org/know-your-rights/passports

If you get a female name and female gender USA passport and you are a Texas resident I would think that the Texas courts and Texas judges will have to obey Federal law since Federal law supersedes state law. But if they refuse to honor your valid female gender United States Passport such as I have, you might have to sue them in Federal Court if they refuse. You will WIN in Federal Court but it might take awhile. National trans organization might give you free legal help on this if all of this happens to you.  But hopefully you won't have a problem.

Thank You. Since you know a lot, Would New York be easier to get a gender change? I'm planning on moving there soon so I'm just wondering.

[FTMax]

Changing your legal name in Texas:
https://www.susans.org/wiki/Changing_legal_name_in_the_US#Texas

Changing your information with Social Security:
https://www.susans.org/wiki/Changing_Social_Security_records

Changing the sex on your birth certificate in Texas:
https://www.susans.org/wiki/Changing_sex_on_birth_certificates_in_the_US#Texas

Changing the sex on your driver's license in Texas:
https://www.susans.org/wiki/Changing_sex_on_driver%27s_licenses_in_the_US#Texas

Those are listed in the order that you should do them.

If it says you have to have completed SRS, they usually mean a hysterectomy and/or what we traditionally think of as bottom surgery (phalloplasty or metoidioplasty). BUT a lot of surgeons who have worked with the community for a long time realize that this is something we deal with, and you may find a top surgeon who will give you a very vaguely worded letter implying that you have had female to male reassignment surgery. Mine did, and that is how I was able to update my Passport and get the regular 10-year one and not the 2-year provisional one.

When in doubt, ask! Most will have no problem showing you an example of the kind of documentation they give you post-op.

[JenniferLopezgomez]

I had no problems at all getting my female gender United States Passport. I am pre-op = no vagina surgery GRS. But I may soon get Breast Augmentation surgery from my current small B cup to DD or DDD cups. < smiles >

[PeterSteele]

I had no problems at all getting my female gender United States Passport. I am pre-op = no vagina surgery GRS. But I may soon get Breast Augmentation surgery from my current small B cup to DD or DDD cups. < smiles >

Awesome. Good luck! 

[Denise]

One thing that I'm pretty sure about, but not positive, someone please correct me.  To change you birth certificate you need to follow the rules in the state you were born not the state you live in.  If you are looking to change Driver's license that's a different set of rules and I think typically easier.

My plan was to get new Federal documents (Passport and SS) which has a lower threshold for changing and ignoring my birth certificate (New Jersey is tough to get it changed.)

PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong, that's the assumption I've been going on.

[Dena]

PJ, you are more or less correct. I haven't lived in my birth state for a long time and what I need to do is get a court order to change the information on my birth certificate. This will then be applied to my birth certificate by my birth state according to the rules that they follow. They may attach an amended certificate to the original, they may issue a new one or they may ignore the court order. It's always best to look up the laws of the state holding your birth certificate so when you approach your current state for a change, you will know what is required to make it happen. In my case, I could change the gender without a court order but I would still need one to alter the name. All I need to do to change the gender is send them my 33 year old surgeons letter with some money. The name change is the mess because Arizona requires publication of the change of a name I haven't used in over 33 years.

[JenniferLopezgomez]

One thing that I'm pretty sure about, but not positive, someone please correct me.  To change you birth certificate you need to follow the rules in the state you were born not the state you live in.  If you are looking to change Driver's license that's a different set of rules and I think typically easier.

My plan was to get new Federal documents (Passport and SS) which has a lower threshold for changing and ignoring my birth certificate (New Jersey is tough to get it changed.)

PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong, that's the assumption I've been going on.

I agree with all, or nearly all, of your assumptions. Jennifer xx