International Travel--Possible During Transition??/Help!!

[Ender]

Hey all, I'm in need of some serious advice.  My university has a program called "International Senior Design," or ISD, where undergrads (multidisciplinary, but mostly engineers) complete their senior project in a third-world country--designing safe drinking water systems, stormwater drainage in flood zones, roads, etc.  The site visit will occur in July/August, so by then I will be 6 months on testosterone.

I was initially going to plan my transition around ISD due to the fear of traveling outside the U.S. while my legal documents (ie, passport says F) and physical presentation (should be looking pretty male in 6 months) do not match.  I was also concerned about taking my T and injection supplies on a plane (and to a country with limited medical technology, should something go wrong).  There is also the concern that I will be in a place that is likely not aware of (or friendly to) transsexuals.  So, I was going to postpone my transition until after I got back.  However, ISD was cancelled by the university last semester with no plans of reinstatement, so I figured there was no point in postponing my transition. 

I just found out today that it has been reinstated--one week after I began HRT.  I am so very, very tempted to do it; it's something I've been looking forward to since Freshman year.  Of course, I also don't want to postpone my transition now that I've started (I've tasted T and I want more).  Basically, I want it all; I want to do ISD, but I want to do it as a male.  I don't want to spend what should be a wonderful, enriching experience as a female, bunked with the other females, and treated as a female.  I don't want to spend it in a dysphoria-induced fog, despite efforts to "pull myself out of it" and just enjoy myself. 

*Sigh* Any advice on traveling while in the middle of transition?  Will customs give me trouble if my passport says F and I look like a guy?  How long does it take to get one's name (after a legal name change) & photograph changed on an existing passport, and what is the cost?  Would it be safer to forget the injections and just take a T patch for the 2 weeks I'm over there?  Any help is really appreciated.

[sneakersjay]

As far as I know gender marker change on the passport is after surgery when you have a letter stating that 'surgery is complete' and you are 'male.'  Which most docs give you after top surgery.  Barring that I don't think you can change your gender marker on your passport.  Name, yes.  Driver's license, yes.  Passport and SS, no.

Jay

[Julie Marie]

I live in the US.  When I went to Montreal I still had a male marker and male name on my passport even though I presented female and there was a female picture on my passport.  I had no problem with customs.

And then there's all the girls who go to Thailand to have GRS...

Julie

[JENNIFER]

Slightly different here in UK, one can get a letter from your psychiatrist within clinic stating that one is stable in intended gender role thus asking the passport authority to issue a new passport with a gender marker to suit, this may occur pre-op if necessary. This of course assumes that you have satisfied the psychiatrist that you are serious and genuine.

  Alternately, there is a device in the 'Gender Recognition Act 2004' that provides for a certificate to confirm that one is either male or female within the terms of the act relating to transsexual persons, this also provides for the issue of a new birth certificate thus offering further proof of identity.

Regards travel, I imagine that if your travel documents are in order i.e. Air ticket matches passport in name, your photo matches the person presenting at the check-in and control gates etc., the worst that can happen is being asked if your are transsexual though hardly likely given how busy they are with stopping contraband and other nasty stuff getting on the plane.

Eryk, go for it and good luck. However, just be careful which country you are going to because there are some that have serious hang-ups with special people such as ourselves and they may not be so relaxed about having us as guests within their borders.  Check with the relevent embassies or your lawyer.

[Mister]

Can you travel?  Totally. 

Should you travel?  Well, that depends.  A 'third world country,' doesn't sound too promising, though.  Are you going to have access to trans sensitive care?  That is, if you get plowed down by a bus in Bhutan and they strip you naked to assess for injuries, what is the likelihood of your being treated respectfully v. being left on the side of the road to die? 

Hate to sound morbid here, but it's reality.

[tekla]

It depends on where you are going.  What the customs officials will allow in like HRT meds, can be problematic also.

[JENNIFER]

It depends on where you are going.  What the customs officials will allow in like HRT meds, can be problematic also.

States like Dubai have very strict rules regards to medications and I believe oestrogen is not permitted, nor is Spiro even if one has a prescription.  They have very sensitive detection systems in place and I myself would hesitate even eating a seeded bread roll on a plane that is to land in Dubai.  I am open to be corrected if any member has something to counter my thoughts on this particular matter but I still urge extreme caution no matter where one travels.

[tekla]

No, sounds right to me.  I did a bunch of travel to some pretty weird places when I worked for Bechtel, like Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, UAE and other places around the Gulf, and standards are like... well, there are no standards.  One time you might get everything taken apart, other times you walk through and nothing gets looked at.  Some place will arrest you for offering a bribe, other places expect a bit of cash to pass before anything will be done.

[Buffy]

States like Dubai have very strict rules regards to medications and I believe oestrogen is not permitted, nor is Spiro even if one has a prescription.  They have very sensitive detection systems in place and I myself would hesitate even eating a seeded bread roll on a plane that is to land in Dubai.  I am open to be corrected if any member has something to counter my thoughts on this particular matter but I still urge extreme caution no matter where one travels.

I fly regularly in and out of the UAE to GCC Countries, Europe and India I have never encountered any problems with hormones or any medication.

I cannot get Estrogen here (only available as patches) and bring back hormones in bulk from the UK, again never been stopped, searched or had any issues with customs. I have a letter from both my Doctor here and in the UK stating if they are prescription medicines (which is perfectly legal).

There are a list of banned substances (which includes Codeine, benzodiazopene), which are not allowed in even on prescription.

Only time I have had problems was in Saudi two years ago, when they confiscated my vibrator. The police thought this highly amusing.

Buffy

[Ender]

Thanks for the info, all.  As far as traveling with T goes, I think I just won't and save myself the headache & worry.  The trip is only 2 weeks, just barely enough time to gather site information and enjoy some physical labor; the bulk of the design work is done when we get back.  If I decide to do this, I will speak with my endo about changing my shot schedule from every week to every two weeks, and also slowly adjusting the timing so I can take a shot right before I leave for the trip.

As far as I know gender marker change on the passport is after surgery when you have a letter stating that 'surgery is complete' and you are 'male.'  Which most docs give you after top surgery.  Barring that I don't think you can change your gender marker on your passport.  Name, yes.  Driver's license, yes.  Passport and SS, no.

Yeah, I figured that *sigh*  But wait: are you saying I can change that little F to an M on my drivers license prior to surgery?  'Cuz that would be awesome, though I'd imagine that rule varies from state to state...

Should you travel?  Well, that depends.  A 'third world country,' doesn't sound too promising, though.  Are you going to have access to trans sensitive care?  That is, if you get plowed down by a bus in Bhutan and they strip you naked to assess for injuries, what is the likelihood of your being treated respectfully v. being left on the side of the road to die? 

Hate to sound morbid here, but it's reality.

No stranger to harsh reality, here.  The health care is probably going to end up being my biggest concern.  Where I'm going, I don't know if they have much of a health care system at all.  Trans-friendly/aware?  So little chance it is effectively zero.  I'll be taking a gamble: if I'm hurt seriously, I'm pretty well screwed.  Not to say there won't be people with me (group members, faculty advisor), but I don't know if they'll be able to do much if I'm seriously injured and the medics refuse me--or try to kill me.

However, just be careful which country you are going to because there are some that have serious hang-ups with special people such as ourselves and they may not be so relaxed about having us as guests within their borders.  Check with the relevent embassies or your lawyer.

Good advice--I'd have never have thought of contacting the embassy beforehand, provided there is one.  I'm not 100% sure where the destination will be this year.  It's generally Bolivia due to the ties our advisor has there (with city officials, ~10 years of previous projects), though last I heard Bolivia just took a turn for the worse with regards to social unrest.  There's also the recent outbreak of Dengue fever.  According to IGLHRC, there have been several murders of transsexuals in Bolivia, most committed by police officials.

I must be insane for even considering this, eh?  I'll have to go talk to the advisor and see what her advice on the matter is--and also find out what country we're going to.  The actual informational meeting isn't for a week, but there are limited spots that will likely be filled by the end of the meeting (reservations=deposit for airfare, non-refundable)--so I need to make a decision before next week.

[tekla]

Here is the CIA current data on Bolivia

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bl.html

[myles]

I am not sure about the drugs thing but I know I have had them look twice at me with my passport. I haven't started T or anything I just look like a guy and my passport says I'm female and so forth. They usually ask if its really me and laugh then may ask me a few questions and let me through. I have traveled a lot and I have always been able to get back in th ecountry.
Good luck
Myles

[Ender]

Myles:  I've had a similar experience.  Traveling internationally (Frankfurt Airport, Germany) three years ago, I ran into some officials who didn't believe my passport at first glance.  However, as soon as I opened my mouth to speak, they believed I was female... not sure if I'll have the same luxury if I keep taking T for six months...

(The hulking German security guards--one male, one female--were also fun.  They didn't require my passport, but they did stand there staring at me for at least a minute--I couldn't figure out why they were taking so long to pat me down when the security line was so long and the airport so busy.  Turns out they couldn't figure out what I was, so one of 'em finally decided to stop staring and asked in a very thick accent: "are you a boy or a girl?")