deed poll

[Al James]

Well, there i was at home bored on new years day and just happened to be looking at the deed poll web site. thirty seconds later i'd clicked on a few buttons and submitted the form for changing my name and my title.So hopefully the year has started as its going to go on, with me becoming visibly more male. P.s. does anyone know what the wait time is in u k once the form has gone in

[Flameboy]

Congratulations dude!

I'm afraid I have no idea how long it will take, because there's no official deed poll company - although there are a number of companies who offer this service. It's entirely possible in the UK to print out your own deed poll and get it signed by a couple of mates down the pub - and that's your name legally changed. As long as the wording is correct, it's the actual signatures that make it a legal document, not the fact that it's been submitted to anyone else.

Anyway, I hope it turns up soon for you mate - I take it you get it signed once you receive your copy then?

[Al James]

Think so. Then send it back to them and they send you the official copies to send to DVLA and Passport people. Could be interesting having my name as Mr..... and my gender as female

[Flameboy]

Why will you have your gender as female? You can change your gender on your driving licence simply by ticking the M box on the form, and sending them a covering note saying that you're trans when you send off for the name change. As far as your passport is concerned, you do need to include a letter from your doctor saying that you're transitioning and that the change will be permanent - but if you've already been to see your GP about transitioning then they might be willing to write that for you now. If not, it might be an idea to wait until they are happy to do that rather than spending £77.50 to change your name now and another £77.50 to change your gender marker in a few months.

[Al James]

Thank you for that info. Wasn't sure if you could get your gender marker changed if you weren't on T or at least seeing someone. Still haven't had my first appointment yet but I've decided that at 37 i know my own mind well enough to make the changes i can to my life

[Alessandro]

I submitted my deed poll about 5 days ago and am waiting on it.  But it is the holiday closure period so we have a little more waiting time.  Are you an Alex too then  they must have a rush on FtM guys called Alex this holiday season   

[Al James]

Yes i'm an Alex too. Had noticed that it was a very popular name on this forum. Would be interesting to know why we all chose it

[Alessandro]

I chose it because my favourite name in the world is Alessandro, the Italian version of Alexander.  And since I am not certain whether I will medically transition or not, just Alex is a nice genderless name that just seems to suit   

[Al James]

i went for Alex cos i wanted a name that began with A and also because i could change to that and get people calling me it before i had to tell them the rest of the story. Just ease them into it as it were

[Ryan]

You can write your own Deed Poll and it's perfectly legal.

I just wrote mine out in Microsoft Word, printed it on some fancy paper and I was sorted!

[Flameboy]

You can write your own Deed Poll and it's perfectly legal.

I just wrote mine out in Microsoft Word, printed it on some fancy paper and I was sorted!

Absolutely! As long as the wording is correct, and it's signed properly, it's a perfectly legal document. You don't even need to print it on fancy paper, you could write it on toilet roll, or a table cloth, or the side of a cow, and it would still be a legal document - less practical for sending to banks etc, but a legal document nonetheless!

[Al James]

Well I've got it: all signed and official. Now all I've got to do is get a letter from my doctor for the passport people and send copies to those who need to know. So why am i now sat looking at it wondering if after all this time I'm doing the right thing or not?

[JakeDenver]

Maybe you think its too good to be true. Or maybe you can be like me and every step further you just need to take a wee bit of time for yourself and make sure you are doing what you feel you need. Once I take a step forward I gather my thoughts and so and go over what just happened. It sinks in better that way. Its almost like reaching a checkpoint along the long road of transitioning.

[Al James]

Maybe that is what I need. I've waited 20 years for this and hidden so much inside me since i was a teenager that now its coming out into the open its slightly scary. I have no doubts that I am male-just doubts about the transition

[Greg]

I've found that once you get further into your transition each step becomes easier to handle emotionally, even if it's more challenging than previous steps, if that makes sense.

For example:
Name change-I sat around for a day or two thinking this is crazy
GP appointment-I was really nervous
Gender doc appointment-First time I'd been to London but I was totally fine.

[Flameboy]

I'd agree with both Greg and JakeDenver. Transitioning is a massive step, and the name change, as one of the first things on the journey, is like a big public declaration of your intention to transition - so it's only natural to worry about whether you're doing the right thing or not.

Each time I started wondering about whether I was doing the right thing, I thought about the alternative - i.e. growing old as a woman - and realised that there really was no other option.

Anyway, I suppose the other way to look at it is that you can always change it back if you decide it's not right for you!

[Greg]

Yeah it would be fairly easy to change your name back if you decided to do that.

I definately have found that the best way to motivate myself with transition was to think of the alternative, like flameboy said. Before I realised I was trans I just couldn't think of a future for myself, like there was nothing there. Now I look forward and I can see myself as a family man, with a career and a successful life etc. Lame I know lol. 

[Al James]

not lame. Guess the thougt in the back of my head is the fact that I've spent 37 years in a female body so probably half my life- now its time to do it right!!!