Hi... I am sort of freaking out about the next step in my transition, getting my gender marker changed. First step seemed to be getting the official Washington state gender designation change form mailed in to the Dept. of Licensing. Which I did. Two months ago. I am waiting for the mailed response that, if I understand things right, will be the authorization letter I take to a DOL office to get a new license. Was hoping there was someone on here who had done this and could tell me how long it took for them to receive the authorization letter. I've already emailed the local trans support group and got no response so I suspect they aren't still around. Do not know who else to ask.

Deep breath! Here's a guide to document changes: https://www.susans.org/wiki/Category:Documentation_changes

Are you sure you didn't leave anything that should be filled in blank because if you did they won't process it. Secondly, if you have been waiting that long you should call in to DOL customer service. They will send an email to the person who handles these things unless he can see notes on your driving/ ID record. Then that person will get back with you. You should have heard back long before now. Secondly, did you send in the proper documentation with that form? I live in Washington State so I have gone through all of this.
Mariah

Quote from: Pixie on November 02, 2014, 10:12:45 AM
Hi... I am sort of freaking out about the next step in my transition, getting my gender marker changed. First step seemed to be getting the official Washington state gender designation change form mailed in to the Dept. of Licensing. Which I did. Two months ago. I am waiting for the mailed response that, if I understand things right, will be the authorization letter I take to a DOL office to get a new license. Was hoping there was someone on here who had done this and could tell me how long it took for them to receive the authorization letter. I've already emailed the local trans support group and got no response so I suspect they aren't still around. Do not know who else to ask.

I had the form filled out completely, the one from here: http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/genderchange.html
and sent it in with a copy of my current license. I didn't see any other information/documentation that they asked for. So that's all I sent. I just sent them an email last night asking about it, can't call since I'm disabled and can't speak so hopefully my email will get to them. If not I'll have to wait until I see my GT and have her call for me.

I was waiting on getting that letter back before going to court for the name change, so I could hopefully just take one day off and get it all done the same day. But maybe I shouldn't wait for it. Honestly, all this this stresses me out FAR more than even any of the surgeries.

How long did it take for you to get the letter from the DOL back, after you mailed it in? And, was it really as easy as taking that letter to an office and getting the gender marker changed? Or were the counter people difficult to deal with? I've been trying to find someone to go with me, but there just aren't that many people I'm out to yet so I'll probably be going alone.

Quote from: Mariah2014 on November 02, 2014, 03:27:13 PM
Are you sure you didn't leave anything that should be filled in blank because if you did they won't process it. Secondly, if you have been waiting that long you should call in to DOL customer service. They will send an email to the person who handles these things unless he can see notes on your driving/ ID record. Then that person will get back with you. You should have heard back long before now. Secondly, did you send in the proper documentation with that form? I live in Washington State so I have gone through all of this.
Mariah

As long as a medical doctor signed it you should be fine. If you don't hear back from them then I will see if I can't use the contact info I have to get the bottom of this. At that point I would have you pm an email address that I can pass on to the person who deals with these directly. My orginal letter the USPS lost. So after a waiting a few weeks I contacted them by phone. Then the person who deals with it called. At that point we lined up via email and I sent the form to her directly since even my birth certificate had been already changed at this point thanks to the mail snafu. Anything over a month is way to long of a wait. I know I didn't wait that long for a response. Once she received it I received it in 3 days. I believe you have to give them at least 14 days to process them if I remember correctly. I would work on getting the court order done in the meantime. Depending on which county you live in will depend on how long it will take. Your court date may get set out a good month unless your lucky to have your county seat in a small town that will allow you to drop it off and come back later to pick it up. The process was very easy. No stresser believe me.
Mariah

quote author=Pixie link=topic=176846.msg1556443#msg1556443 date=1415032052]
I had the form filled out completely, the one from here: http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/genderchange.html
and sent it in with a copy of my current license. I didn't see any other information/documentation that they asked for. So that's all I sent. I just sent them an email last night asking about it, can't call since I'm disabled and can't speak so hopefully my email will get to them. If not I'll have to wait until I see my GT and have her call for me.

I was waiting on getting that letter back before going to court for the name change, so I could hopefully just take one day off and get it all done the same day. But maybe I shouldn't wait for it. Honestly, all this this stresses me out FAR more than even any of the surgeries.

How long did it take for you to get the letter from the DOL back, after you mailed it in? And, was it really as easy as taking that letter to an office and getting the gender marker changed? Or were the counter people difficult to deal with? I've been trying to find someone to go with me, but there just aren't that many people I'm out to yet so I'll probably be going alone.
[/quote]

The office part was easy. The gender change was already in the computer so all they had to do was take my money, picture ans sign the card. I hope your able to find someone to go with you. If I was near by I would be glad to help on that front, but I have feeling that your likely west side of the state.
Mariah

Thank you so much, I really appreciate you replying to me. That's really reassuring to know.

I'm so ... something, don't know the right words for it. I feel overdramatic and stupid. The waiting for the letter has been really horrible. Like making me start wondering again why I even bother with anything when I'm probably not going to be alive long enough for any of it to matter, that kind of horrible.

And yea, west side of the state. Northern Kitsap County though, not Seattle. I haven't found anyone around here to talk to, the support group that supposedly meets around here hasn't been responding to me at all. I guess that's why I finally came back here.

The west side of the sound. It's been a long time since I have been to Kitsap county, maybe 20 years. Trust me you have waited longer than you needed to in this case. You have more patients waiting for the letter than I did. I checked my records it was 2 weeks that it can take them to get back to you when mailing the form in. So they long over do. They should get back to you by email within a day or two. If not we can move up words from there. I would have a new document ready in the meantime complete doctors signature again. They will need it. Hang in there. I know things can be ruff at times. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can pm me. Hugs
Mariah

Quote from: Pixie on November 03, 2014, 12:43:09 PM
Thank you so much, I really appreciate you replying to me. That's really reassuring to know.

I'm so ... something, don't know the right words for it. I feel overdramatic and stupid. The waiting for the letter has been really horrible. Like making me start wondering again why I even bother with anything when I'm probably not going to be alive long enough for any of it to matter, that kind of horrible.

And yea, west side of the state. Northern Kitsap County though, not Seattle. I haven't found anyone around here to talk to, the support group that supposedly meets around here hasn't been responding to me at all. I guess that's why I finally came back here.

It took about 2 weeks to get my letter affirming the gender change.

When dealing with bureaucracies two weeks is almost lightning fast!

I scanned the original document, just in case. I have occasional moments of being smart.

It isn't patience so much as I can't think about it without also thinking it won't work, it isn't worth it, and I would so very much be better off dead. So I shove it out of my head, until I can't anymore.

Hopefully they will reply to my email in the next day or two and tell me what I need to do to get that letter. And meanwhile I'll keep trying to convince one of my friends to drive me to the district court to get the legal name change paperwork done. Maybe I can have my new name and right gender before the end of the year, that would be nice. But with my luck, it'll never happen.

I have been trying to get the correct documentation to change my name/gender with social security for about 5 months now. And they only correspond through mail so I know how stressful the waiting is. This last time I got smart sort of. When I mailed in my documents (again!!!)

Check out this link: http://ingersollcenter.org/transitioningguidelines#Name There may be something helpful to you in there.

The name change through the court may be really easy and worth doing now. Check the link above and you'll find a link for your county. I did the form and went to a small courthouse and it was super easy. I turned it in on a Thursday, didn't have to go to court and had new documents on Monday.

Quote from: christopher on November 03, 2014, 09:51:14 PM
I have been trying to get the correct documentation to change my name/gender with social security for about 5 months now. And they only correspond through mail so I know how stressful the waiting is. This last time I got smart sort of. When I mailed in my documents (again!!!)

Check out this link: http://ingersollcenter.org/transitioningguidelines#Name There may be something helpful to you in there.

The name change through the court may be really easy and worth doing now. Check the link above and you'll find a link for your county. I did the form and went to a small courthouse and it was super easy. I turned it in on a Thursday, didn't have to go to court and had new documents on Monday.

When I did the gender marker change with soc sec, I had the correct  "letter from attending physician", walked into the Everett office, waited 20 minutes then talked with the clerk for about 15 iirc...walked out a federally recognized F!

I just got confirmation that social security has processed my name and gender change. I have the temporary drivers license with the corrected gender and new name in my pocket. I should be getting the official one in the mail soon. I wanted to thank everyone who replied, it was so helpful! I'm glad that's done. I've now moved on to freaking out about other things instead (like my boyfriend outing me to every one he talks to) naturally there's no end of things to freak out about... But I'm officially male on paper now, and that has been surprisingly helpful.

Yays! The Susanites come through again!