The Transitive Property: What’s in a Name?

[Shana A]

The Transitive Property: What's in a Name?
Monday, September 27th, 2010 | By Cristopher Bautista

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2010/09/27/the-transitive-property-whats-in-a-name/

On Friday afternoon, I stood in line at the county Superior Court, my name change papers shaking in my hand. It was a rather drab place, with gray walls and a grumpy policeman at the front door who looked at me suspiciously and made me take off my shoes and walk through a metal detector. I was more nervous than anything. I was surrounded by people seeking custody for their children, filing restraining orders and complaining about traffic tickets, all expressing how unfair life was to them.

I didn't feel like a victim—I did before, during my angsty coming out period, when I was jealous of everyone who wasn't transgender (and believe me, being jealous of more than 95 percent of the population took up a lot of energy). But now, no hard feelings. One of the main reasons why I wanted to change my name is for grad school applications. The name on my transcript is my legal name, which is at the moment my female name.