Want to change your birth certificate and other documents but cant?

[Susan]

If you are a transgender person & have experienced harm originating from your state's policy regarding updating identity documents, please get in touch with Lambda Legal. They would like to try and help! lambdalegal.org/helpdesk

[Sydney_NYC]

If you are a transgender person & have experienced harm originating from your state's policy regarding updating identity documents, please get in touch with Lambda Legal. They would like to try and help! lambdalegal.org/helpdesk

Now with the recent ID ruling that I posted about the other day, I'm going to apply for this with Lambalegal for my TN birth certificate.

[steph2.0]

If you are a transgender person & have experienced harm originating from your state's policy regarding updating identity documents, please get in touch with Lambda Legal. They would like to try and help! lambdalegal.org/helpdesk

I'd love to force Michigan to change their statute (no gender change without GCS), but to be honest, I have suffered no harm from it yet. Once I got my social security card and drivers license, the birth certificate became irrelevant. Nobody knows or seems to care what's on my BC, so without harm I have no standing.

Now the passport is a different problem. I am getting close to experiencing harm because of their policies. I sent them an original signed letter about undergoing clinically appropriate treatment, but my clinic uses an ARNP for HRT prescriptions, and today I found out the passport office requires the signature of an MD or DO (whatever that is).

Why my ARNP is qualified enough to write prescriptions but not enough for the passport I don't know. Everyone else accepted the document with no problem.

I wonder if Lambda Legal could help with that?


- Stephanie

[TonyaW]

I'd love to force Michigan to change their statute (no gender change without GCS), but to be honest, I have suffered no harm from it yet. Once I got my social security card and drivers license, the birth certificate became irrelevant. Nobody knows or seems to care what's on my BC, so without harm I have no standing.

Now the passport is a different problem. I am getting close to experiencing harm because of their policies. I sent them an original signed letter about undergoing clinically appropriate treatment, but my clinic uses an ARNP for HRT prescriptions, and today I found out the passport office requires the signature of an MD or DO (whatever that is).

Why my ARNP is qualified enough to write prescriptions but not enough for the passport I don't know. Everyone else accepted the document with no problem.

I wonder if Lambda Legal could help with that?


- Stephanie

DO is an Doctor of Osteopath medicine.  Fully licensed physicians.  Not sure how but somewhat different training than MD.

As far as I know, NPs and PAs can prescribe under the guidelines of a physician.  Again not sure of the actual wording, but it means basically that they work with or for an M.D.  or DO.  I would think there would not be a problem getting your NPs doctor to write the letter you need.

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[Susan]

If you are a transgender person & have experienced harm originating from your state's policy regarding updating identity documents, please get in touch with Lambda Legal. They would like to try and help! lambdalegal.org/helpdesk

I'd love to force Michigan to change their statute (no gender change without GCS), but to be honest, I have suffered no harm from it yet. Once I got my social security card and drivers license, the birth certificate became irrelevant. Nobody knows or seems to care what's on my BC, so without harm I have no standing.

Now the passport is a different problem. I am getting close to experiencing harm because of their policies. I sent them an original signed letter about undergoing clinically appropriate treatment, but my clinic uses an ARNP for HRT prescriptions, and today I found out the passport office requires the signature of an MD or DO (whatever that is).

Why my ARNP is qualified enough to write prescriptions but not enough for the passport I don't know. Everyone else accepted the document with no problem.

I wonder if Lambda Legal could help with that?


- Stephanie

Your GP or endo can after reviewing your treatment records write the letter for your passport...

[steph2.0]

Your GP or endo can after reviewing your treatment records write the letter for your password...

Yes, I thought that ARNPs had to be working under an MD, but I've never met one at my clinic, and the nurse's name is on the prescriptions. I'll be talking to the clinic today about that, and my GP on Monday. I'm amazed that a clinic that specializes in LGBT doesn't know how to do this. It's like they've never written these letters before. [emoji849]


- Stephanie

[TonyaW]

Yes, I thought that ARNPs had to be working under an MD, but I've never met one at my clinic, and the nurse's name is on the prescriptions. I'll be talking to the clinic today about that, and my GP on Monday. I'm amazed that a clinic that specializes in LGBT doesn't know how to do this. It's like they've never written these letters before. [emoji849]


- Stephanie

M.D. wouldn't necessarily have to be on site all the time at the clinic.  Those walk-in clinics at pharmacies or in the mall use NPs.

I would assume your GP knows you're going to the clinic so they shouldn't have a problem signing for you

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[steph2.0]

M.D. wouldn't necessarily have to be on site all the time at the clinic.  Those walk-in clinics at pharmacies or in the mall use NPs.

I would assume your GP knows you're going to the clinic so they shouldn't have a problem signing for you

The strange thing is this isn't just a walk-in clinic. This is a full-service LGBT center that offers counseling, HRT, AIDS awareness and treatment, hair removal, you name it. They were deeply involved in helping out in the aftermath of the Pulse shooting in Orlando. The letter they wrote is a boilerplate that they just change the details on, so I know they've done this before. I don't understand why they don't know that the passport office has to have a physician sign it.

In any case, if I can't get satisfaction from them, my primary care physician is very supportive, and though he doesn't currently prescribe my HRT, I don't think he'd have a problem writing the letter. And if things continue as is with the clinic, I may move my HRT to my PCP.


- Stephanie

[Sydney_NYC]

Now with the recent ID ruling that I posted about the other day, I'm going to apply for this with Lambalegal for my TN birth certificate.

An update. I received a response from Lambda Legal

Dear Sydney,

Thank you for your recent inquiry to Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.  As you may know, Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender persons, and people with HIV/AIDS through impact litigation, education, and public policy work.  However, Lambda Legal is not a private law firm, and is generally unable to offer direct legal advice or services.

Unfortunately, we are not at the point where we believe a challenge to Tennessee's prohibition would be successful. I would like to suggest that you contact the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) http://www.nclrights.org/about-us/contact-us/ as I believe they are looking to challenge the Tennessee law.

I've contacted the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and hope that this can go somewhere. Hopefully, I hear from them soon.

[Susan]

That's a shame, let us know how it goes.

[fleurgirl]

Hey, Susan

Thanks for the heads up! I'm moving to Florida, so hopefully changing my documents won't be too big as an issue down there. I'm not changing my birth name since it was already quite feminine, just my gender marker. I wonder if it will be different since I am only doing gender. But thank you! I'll definitely look into Lamba if I am every having any issues.

Xx, Fleurgirl

[Susan]

Unfortunately you have to change your birth certificate in the state that originally issued it, this is an issue for those who were born in states that disallow that to occur.

[steph2.0]

The strange thing is this isn't just a walk-in clinic. This is a full-service LGBT center that offers counseling, HRT, AIDS awareness and treatment, hair removal, you name it. They were deeply involved in helping out in the aftermath of the Pulse shooting in Orlando. The letter they wrote is a boilerplate that they just change the details on, so I know they've done this before. I don't understand why they don't know that the passport office has to have a physician sign it.

Update: they tell me there will be yet another letter, this one signed by an MD, waiting for me at my next appointment on Tuesday.

Stephanie

[tgchar21]

Sydney - The difference between Tennessee and Idaho (the state involved in that ruling IIRC) is that TN's prohibition against changing birth certificate sex is "hard-coded" into statute while ID's is/was merely an agency policy. That might be why Lambda Legal said that the challenge you suggested is less likely to be effective.

[Susan]

It's still unconstitutional, and a violation of American Citizens rights to equal protection of the law. Both she and I are Tennessee residents. She was born here, I have lived here most of my life. But I was lucky enough that my mother had moved to California for a short period of time where she had me. Sydney is unable to change her birth certificate or update many of her identity documents. Whereas I was able to fully change mine. Yet we are both citizens of Tennessee.

[RobynTx]

Good info.  I'll be working on my stuff this summer in Texas.