Susan's Place Transgender Resources

It makes sense to me that I ought to mark all medical documents as 'F' because that's the biological truth. I don't know whether marking 'M' has potential to screw things up, or not. It hasn't been a real issue until now because I've had no justification to let myself do it... but now I'm getting my gender marker changed on my ID. I'm just curious as to whether or not health professionals expect you to put down your birth sex or not.

All I ever go in for is blood work and it wouldn't have been a problem except that they couldn't get any the last time I was at my clinic, so they sent me to one of their labs. The receptionist did a little bit of a double-take when I gave her my first name and I think the nurse was a little confused as well. I hadn't ever been to the lab before and had to fill out paperwork, and had marked 'F' just to be safe. I figure if they look at my ID they'll know, and then I'll feel weird for have putting something else down. But - like I said - that's getting changed. So... what do I do now?

Unless it's something that has to do with my genetalia or birth sex, i just put male. It's really none of their business otherwise.

I always leave it blank.  I am listed as F on my id but my insurance has me mistakenly listed as M. 

If its medical I put f and make a note that I am ftm on hormones. I don't want to take a chance when it comes to my health. On legal paperwork both in the states and in Japan I put f since I'm biologically female and have never had my papers altered.

I figure for the most part legally they won't see me again and I won't risk being deported. Online surveys and such I put male unless I have to run credit cards. Funny enough, whenever I call my bank or credit companies they call me sir despite having female on my profiles.

I've put male on everything since I turned 18 and didn't have my parents breathing down my neck to do otherwise. I have never had any issues doing so. When I'm at the hospital they know my situation but still respect me enough to put male on my ID bracelet and in medical records they always say male or "transgender male" which is fine.

If it's medical or official I put female. I used to leave everything I possibly could blank to prevent accidentally outing myself to family members, but now that they know I put male whenever possible. It's a good feeling and a small start.

My only concern has been causing trouble for myself later on. I don't know if there are significant differences in the way they look at things for males and females - like blood work, for example. I'm completely clueless in medical issues and I could probably Google it really quick to find out for sure, but I think that they can determine whether you're male or female from your blood? I thought they could, but now I'm second guessing myself...

In any case, I suppose there are other situations were gender markers are more important. I'm going to apply for a job in May (and the hiring manager is a friend, so - sue me for being optimistic - I expect to get it) and by then my ID will have been changed. I guess I'll mark 'M' there since it'll say so on my ID, but then I have to worry about Social Security. I don't know though, it seems like maybe the worst that could happen is that you might get a phone call and have to explain everything.

Quote from: democration on April 09, 2013, 12:17:35 AM
My only concern has been causing trouble for myself later on. I don't know if there are significant differences in the way they look at things for males and females - like blood work, for example. I'm completely clueless in medical issues and I could probably Google it really quick to find out for sure, but I think that they can determine whether you're male or female from your blood? I thought they could, but now I'm second guessing myself...

In any case, I suppose there are other situations were gender markers are more important. I'm going to apply for a job in May (and the hiring manager is a friend, so - sue me for being optimistic - I expect to get it) and by then my ID will have been changed. I guess I'll mark 'M' there since it'll say so on my ID, but then I have to worry about Social Security. I don't know though, it seems like maybe the worst that could happen is that you might get a phone call and have to explain everything.

I think I recall that Social Security no longer sends out 'no match' letters to employers, so you should be fine.

from very early I would put F on my forms.

Once your documentation changes, you should put M.  Your doctor, whom I presume is ordering BW, knows your status.  it's nobody else's business, IMO.  If you are still legally F and your documents say F, then for medical things you need to put F.  For other non-legal stuff you can put M.

My doctor's forms have 3 gender boxes:  M, F, and Reassignment.  I put Male.

Jay

I am seeing a lot more medical forms with M/F/T on it.

Just had my first issue with putting male on everything. On my voice mail was a message from the College saying my fafsa looks fine except I need to submit proof that I have registered for the Selective Service.

Should have called them back today but just wasn't feeling it. I'm going to call Monday and just tell them because I'm transgender I wasn't required to. Hope that will suffice.

If not, (or if I get an idiot on the phone) I'm thinking of what detail I want to go into. I know that short and sweet is the best way to handle anything related to trans issues.

Quote from: Simon on April 12, 2013, 10:02:29 PM
Just had my first issue with putting male on everything. On my voice mail was a message from the College saying my fafsa looks fine except I need to submit proof that I have registered for the Selective Service.

Should have called them back today but just wasn't feeling it. I'm going to call Monday and just tell them because I'm transgender I wasn't required to. Hope that will suffice.

If not, (or if I get an idiot on the phone) I'm thinking of what detail I want to go into. I know that short and sweet is the best way to handle anything related to trans issues.

I've been wondering how to handle that when it (eventually) comes up. Let us know how that goes.

Quote from: Simon on April 12, 2013, 10:02:29 PM
I'm going to call Monday and just tell them because I'm transgender I wasn't required to. Hope that will suffice.

I wouldn't count on it, but I wish you luck. To protect yourself in the future, you should apply for a letter from SSS.

I probably have the information wrong as far as this goes, but I've been led to believe that once you get your marker changed on your ID you're supposed to register for the selective service, right? It seems like even without changing Social Security or your birth certificate it's generally safe to switch to marking 'M' on things, maybe excluding medical things per personal preference.

I don't remember what's recommended if you change a state ID (drivers license and so forth) without changing your sex marker with the feds. But if you do change to M with the feds and you ever expect to work for the feds or get aid from them, you need a status letter from Selective Services. I recommend that you get one even if you have no plans involving the federal government because you never know when your life will take an unexpected turn.

A few years ago, I was unemployed and trying to get some job training from an agency whose funding source I never fully established, and the agency required that I furnish the letter. I did so, but they refused to proceed further until I told them about the nature of my dispensation. I said that I was exempted on medical grounds, but that wasn't enough to satisfy them. I was then told that the agency needed to know the EXACT nature of the exemption because the agency needed to establish that I hadn't committed any wrongdoing by not registering. I told them that the federal government itself had stated that I'd not been required to register, and that should be that.

That wasn't that, and I refused to out myself to this agency because they had already dissed one of my trans brothers the year before. So I got no job training. I thought they had a lot of damned nerve, deciding that their evaluation of my SSS situation should supersede that of the federal government's. So I gave them the figurative middle finger. Boy, was I mad.

Quote from: Arch on April 12, 2013, 11:07:42 PM
A few years ago, I was unemployed and trying to get some job training from an agency whose funding source I never fully established, and the agency required that I furnish the letter. I did so, but they refused to proceed further until I told them about the nature of my dispensation. I said that I was exempted on medical grounds, but that wasn't enough to satisfy them. I was then told that the agency needed to know the EXACT nature of the exemption because the agency needed to establish that I hadn't committed any wrongdoing by not registering. I told them that the federal government itself had stated that I'd not been required to register, and that should be that.

That wasn't that, and I refused to out myself to this agency because they had already dissed one of my trans brothers the year before. So I got no job training. I thought they had a lot of damned nerve, deciding that their evaluation of my SSS situation should supersede that of the federal government's. So I gave them the figurative middle finger. Boy, was I mad.

That just seems like the kind of thing that shouldn't be legal. But I guess it depends on state laws, right? I'm not really very well read in as far as the government is concerned. So - when you say "change to M with the feds", does that mean Social Security/birth certificate? That and a state ID should be all that needs changed, am I right? (Excluding a passport.)

I was referring to Social Security, yes. You don't need to change your BC to do that or to get a passport as male. In fact, my birth certificate is the one thing I haven't changed, since the state of my birth is too backward to actually issue a brand new one. Until the rules are changed, I expect that I will not worry about my BC. After all, a passport is an acceptable substitute.

Seems to me that if you are on T, then you should think about having an M on your medical records. Some guys don't because the medical office won't change the marker. Some guys don't because they still need certain services covered (like GYN stuff) or because they hope to have hysto covered at some future date.

If you are not on T, you might want to discuss the change with your doctor because there could be problems with your labs. For example, I was still listed as F on my medical records because I was still insured under my ex's plan for a while after we broke up. After an office visit and some routine blood work (I also had my T level checked), I received an urgent call from one of the nurses, who said that my T level was "dangerously high" and that I should call my doctor's office "immediately." We got it all cleared up in due course, but I was thinking that I had high T for a man, and I was worried that I would be asked to reduce my dose because of it.

I think that's when my doctor had my sex marker changed. I just wish he had told me because I was fretting over it for a year before I got in touch with the medical records department and was told that I was already listed as male!

When I got my marker  changed on my driver's license, my next stop was to my GP's office...they didn't even bat an eye when I asked them to change it, just click-click-click and it was done.

Since they didn't ask anything, nor advise me about how to approach it...I'm thinking it's not particularly important to them. (Obviously if I am having some kind of problem with my male bits, I would explain to remind my GP that I am MTF)