Has anyone tried changing their name on high school and college records? I'm considering going into a field where I'll need to show my HS records and it'd obviously be much easier if I didn't have to out myself through my transcripts, etc. Does anyone have experience with this? Is it worth the trouble? Thanks.

Hi TheGrayWolf,

I recently went through a legal name change (through the county circuit court) and am I high school student, I thought I might offer some help. After I got my name change approved by a judge and received my signed copies of the Judgement in the mail, all I had to do was take a copy of the Judgement to my high school and have the registrar alter my records. Granted, I haven't graduated yet, but I would think that taking a copy of the order to the registrar, graduated or not, might get that changed. In any case, it can't hurt to send whoever is in charge of student records at your old high school an e-mail and see what is actually within the school's power to do. I'm not entirely sure about post-graduate records at a college, either, but it would definitely be in your best interest to contact the registrar via e-mail or telephone if you are looking at getting those records amended.

I have and I gave up after lots of awful phone calls and verbal abuse. I went to high school and college mostly in Georgia, Florida, Lousiana, and Alabama, and I got my name and sex change in a northern state that isn't much respected by southern bureaucracy, so your mileage may vary.

Some will and some won't. Often they won't after you graduate.

I actually just looked at my old hs diploma and they didn't even put my middle name on it. You could probably fight for it to get changed. It only takes one graduated hs person getting their records changed to make all the other schools do it.

I was able to update my name at the University of Alaska Anchorage with no problems.  Alaska, like the south, is an extremely conservative religious area with a lot of prejudice against LGBT persons.  So hopefully that will bode well for others also changing their name. 

Thanks guys. I'll give it a try and if they refuse I guess I can always threaten to call a civil liberties organization.

SCHEIßE!  I didn't think about this.  I really should check into this with my old schools, maybe even the department of education.

I think this link might have some very valuable information for those of you wishing to change school records. I know I will be using it when I begin that process. Know your rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

http://www.lambdalegal.org/know-your-rights/transgender/ferpa-faq

As an extra question on this thread: to anyone that has attended any kind of higher education - if you got your name changed on your degrees, did you go back and see if your HS would alter their records? Is this a necessity, good idea, etc.?

I have a BA and an MS, and I've been told that it won't be an issue to get the name changed on either of them. I do have aspirations of a stealthy life, so I'm wondering if it would be worth the trouble to completely backtrack to high school and see if they would change it on my diploma.

My high school will change my transcripts. I just had to contact the district office with my name change paperwork and they updated it for me. For me, it was worth it simply because I didn't want to get down the line and have someone call to verify my enrollment or something (not sure they would but you never know) and have it come back looking like I lied or having to explain the reason it's different.

Quote from: Vesper on February 06, 2015, 03:44:31 AM
I think this link might have some very valuable information for those of you wishing to change school records. I know I will be using it when I begin that process. Know your rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

http://www.lambdalegal.org/know-your-rights/transgender/ferpa-faq

Thank you for posting this, it's really helpful and good to know in case I have any problems.

No problem. It is important to know your legal rights. It is a fight, but it is a fight worth winning to live the life that you want to live.

When I transitioned, I went back to the high school i had attended and had my transcripts all changed. Since it had been 11 years between high school and starting college, I would have been fine not changing it, but I did it to make myself more comfortable. Its not a bad idea in case you ever want to get a job where a background check will be done.

Sam1234