Legal Name change

[Stephen]

I have many questions which I will talk to my therapist about on Feb. 10 during my appt. What I am wondering is: When to get the legal name change? I know changing the gender on everything is a much more involved process. Can I change my name legally prior to starting T or shortly after?

[JENNIFER]

Not sure of your current location or legal code but in UK, it is an easy procedure and the timing is a matter of choice.  Doing so before therapy would be seen as a sign of your intent though.

The hard part is the bit afterwards when you trawl through your daily life, the financial institutions, tax authorities, medical and dental providers, employer, drivers lisense, TV lisense, voters registration, passport/identity cards..........

[sneakersjay]

I changed everything after a few months on T.  It was annoying, yes, and I actually had to travel under my old name while passing as male.

Jay

[Ender]

Whenever floats your boat, dude.  It's not illegal to change your name now.  The only trick is getting the judge's OK--and I think it really depends on who you get and how much they're bothered by someone changing their name from a female to a male one.

I'd like my name legally changed over by this summer, so I have time to it changed on my school records and have my diploma in the proper name--which may or may not be important to you, since you told me you'll be transitioning during your first job anyways.  However, it might be important for jobs that you get later in life.

I'd like to have some congruency of name & identity on my first job (that requires my degree) 'cuz I'll be working with strangers, not family friends.  Also, I plan on going to grad school in a few years, so having the name that I give the grad school match my records at the university where I got my Bachelor's would be easier.  Change your name at a time that would make your life easiest.

[Amur]

I recently had my name legally changed (US), despite not being on T, and had absolutely no problem with it.  Changing it between jobs/stages of life is definitely most convenient.  Of course, I'm not even out to anyone and I somehow still managed to convince my mother to pay for it as part of my christmas present... not quite sure how I talked myself around that one.  I remember mumbling something about how male names can sometimes be used for girls.  Eh, well, maybe she was just tired of hearing me complain about my previous name for almost two decades.  And even she agrees that my new name suits me much better. 

I'm planning on starting T in the next month or so if finances allow.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes her to notice anything.  (This is the same woman who took 6+ years to realize that I am, at the very least, a crossdresser.  And she bought all my clothes, boxers included. )

[Jay]

I changed my name before starting T about 5 months before hand. So I didn't have to use my
old name whilst passing and transitioning..as it only courses confusion..

[Kristian]

Legal name change. That's when the miracles started happening. A legal name change is exactly that. You go to a lawyer. You prove you are of age, or your parents go with you. You agree to a writ that you want your name to be *******, the lawyer accepts the name and your money and it is basically done. You will recieve in the mail THE piece of paper you wanted. Legalwise, you must know that you now have an AKA. Even after all this time, I must respond to the aka. DO NOT change your SS #. There is a life after the death of the current you. If you manufactor things, you will go to jail. Keep current SS, add name change. the legalese is, 'not in the attempt to defraud'. You are defrauding no one. The BS with SS is mild, compared with law enforcement. It was easier than I thought. I simply took my name change paper to the   local DMV, said I needed a name change on my liscense and prayed. It came back marked male. That was me,a billion years ago. But God was with me. You may encounter more difficulty.

[Stephen]

I just mailed all of my paperwork to MN this morning so the Legal name once the fee waiver has been accepted or I have paid the fee, wen to court, and had the judge sign the paper will be Lycus Stephen *last name* 

[Dennis]

Legal name change. That's when the miracles started happening. A legal name change is exactly that. You go to a lawyer. You prove you are of age, or your parents go with you. You agree to a writ that you want your name to be *******, the lawyer accepts the name and your money and it is basically done. You will recieve in the mail THE piece of paper you wanted. Legalwise, you must know that you now have an AKA. Even after all this time, I must respond to the aka. DO NOT change your SS #. There is a life after the death of the current you. If you manufactor things, you will go to jail. Keep current SS, add name change. the legalese is, 'not in the attempt to defraud'. You are defrauding no one. The BS with SS is mild, compared with law enforcement. It was easier than I thought. I simply took my name change paper to the   local DMV, said I needed a name change on my liscense and prayed. It came back marked male. That was me,a billion years ago. But God was with me. You may encounter more difficulty.

Don't use a lawyer unless you have to in your jurisdiction. Not all lawyers are honest enough to say you don't need a lawyer. Lawyers add cost to a process and if you need one, it's money well spent. If you don't need one, it's money down the drain because the honest ones will tell you you can do it on your own and the dishonest ones will just take your money and do something you could've done yourself. It's not only money gone, but it's money gone to the unscrupulous. Do the research first.

Dennis (honest lawyer - and most are, but you may hit one who isn't)

[sneakersjay]

Don't use a lawyer unless you have to in your jurisdiction. Not all lawyers are honest enough to say you don't need a lawyer. Lawyers add cost to a process and if you need one, it's money well spent. If you don't need one, it's money down the drain because the honest ones will tell you you can do it on your own and the dishonest ones will just take your money and do something you could've done yourself. It's not only money gone, but it's money gone to the unscrupulous. Do the research first.

And the sleezy ones have slick websites that come up when you google.  For $39 (in my state) they'll get you the form (it's free on the state website).  For $79 + the state fee they'll file it for you.  And those were the cheap sites.

Start at your state website first.

Jay

[tekla]

No one I know who has done it in california has ever had to use a lawyer, all the forms are on line or at the courthouse.  Its pretty much the definition of pro forma as far as legal stuff goes.

[Stephen]

I don't plan on using a lawyer and I did find all the paperwork online.

[tekla]

That's all you need.  Changing a gender marker can be hard, depending on the state, but changing your name is easy.

[Dennis]

Yeah, hell I haven't even managed to change my own birth certificate and I'm a lawyer and done all surgeries, been on T, so I'm trying to figure out how to renounce my British birth (although mushy peas and warm beer should be enough to convince me to keep it).

Dennis

[Renate]

Could some American legal type clarify this business with "A/K/A"?

I've heard various people assert that getting a court-ordered name change is only adding an additional alias to your identity, that you are "also known as".

My non-legal mind believes that I am forever dissociated from <old name>. At least that's what I want.

On the other hand, if an old will still had <old name> on it, the courts would probably decide that I was the individual indicated.

[tekla]

In California you have to publish your name change, and of course court records are a matter of public record.  Things like criminal records, credit reports and security documents follow you, even with the name change.

[MrMann]

I have only been in therapy a few months, and am about to start T therapy, but the first step I took was my name change.  I live in a military town in the Pacific Northwest, and was very surprised to find that not only did the judge take great discretion regarding the proceedings, but I was able to fill out the paperwork online.  Honestly, it only took 15 minutes to get the Judge's signature and have the sealed copies in my hand.

I considered changing my name as an indicator to myself that I was truly being the man I am.  I came away from the courthouse with the greatest sense of pride; and even when laboring through the process of having everything else changed (SSN, banks, DL), I didn't seem to mind as much knowing that the next time I made a change it would be changing the gender identification.

I think changing one's name is probably the most significant thing one can do in the process of becoming.  It validates who you truly are by assigning a "name" to that which before-hand has only been a feeling.

Thank you for bearing with me on my first "posting".  Apologies for rambling.  Obviously I had a lot to say. 

[JENNIFER]

Yeah, hell I haven't even managed to change my own birth certificate and I'm a lawyer and done all surgeries, been on T, so I'm trying to figure out how to renounce my British birth (although mushy peas and warm beer should be enough to convince me to keep it).

Dennis

Had you remained in Britain you would have a new Birth Certificate under the new law of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 ( courtesy of a ruling of the European Court of Human Rights ).  Just wondering if you retained British citizenship though because that might be a way for you.........I am merely a Law student and not fully qualified to give legal advice !!

[Stephen]

My court date is March 11 for my name change. weeeeeeeeeee

[Ender]

Congrats.  Lucky bugger.  Y'know how bloody long a name change is gonna take in my state?!  It takes 2-3 months alone to get the fingerprints on file, and *then* I can get the court date.  Yeesh.  Your state rocks, and for more things than just name changes.

Do you know if you are re-issued a birth certificate with the proper name on it when you complete the name change?  My state will automatically "cross out" the old name and replace it with the new--unless I check a box on the name change form that says I can have my old birth certificate sealed and a new one issued (I definitely checked the box).