so i have finally set a start date to go full time and i am now worried about documenting my real life experience, currently i work as a self employed contractor and have really no documents or customer invoices that have my name on them since they are all written to my corporation, i am planning on changing my name and identification marker for the start of my RLE but im worried i won't be able to show any other documentation that will sufficiently prove my adaptation of my chosen gender,

i am just wondering if anyone has had problems with documenting their RLE while being self employed, and how did you overcome it

Hi - this is a valid concern, absolutely agreed.

Some companies don't seem to have a problem by addressing you as "Ms" and with a new name, without requiring certificates and all of that.  Perhaps you can evaluate this - water, gas, electricity companies for example?

Another is to involve your doctor and psychologist.  I don't know whether they will be prepared to document the start of your RLE.

Finally, I'm wondering whether social media are now a valid proof of RLE if you change your gender and name on Facebook, for instance. 

How does this look?

Julia

Do you mean documenting to prove you've been FTE for 12 months should you decide to have SRS? I wondered about that myself at the time. I didn't change my name legally until about six months after I went full time but as far as my psych was concerned I was FT from the time I said I was FT not from the point of changing documentation. I guess it may vary from doc to doc so best to just ask them.

RLE is up to your psych's to judge. It doesn't mean living in flowery feminine attire or changing your name. It means living FT as your affirmed gender. Woman dress and act in different ways, so can you.

Maybe read the SOC7 from wpath.org? And give a copy to your medics.

thanks for the responses ladies, i think i was worried my psych might not accept just getting my name and id's changed since i am, and still will be working in construction as a contractor and will still be wearing carharts and plaid shirts to work everyday since that is the same as most female construction workers wear,

i think i will just bring it up with my psych when i see him next, and see if he thinks its acceptable, i just don't want to commit to a part time job making pennies just to get my work experience for a year when i already have a full time job that pays well

I would make your psych aware of that fact because as long as your working as a woman even a normally man's field it shouldn't matter. If You need to try and get your work to document those facts as proof for your your psych. Sometimes additional proof is need to help convince them, but I wouldn't think you would need to work that hard. Hugs
Mariah

Quote from: Madison (kiara jamie) on June 03, 2015, 04:38:34 AM
thanks for the responses ladies, i think i was worried my psych might not accept just getting my name and id's changed since i am, and still will be working in construction as a contractor and will still be wearing carharts and plaid shirts to work everyday since that is the same as most female construction workers wear,

i think i will just bring it up with my psych when i see him next, and see if he thinks its acceptable, i just don't want to commit to a part time job making pennies just to get my work experience for a year when i already have a full time job that pays well

If a therapist didn't believe that I was living full time as a woman or asked me to prove it to him, I would quickly switch therapists.

A therapist who doesn't believe me is not getting a cent of my money.

During my process (3+ years) whenever a doctor needed proof of RLE, the first thing s/he asked was, "Is Beth ____ ____ your legal name? When did you change it?" Some things require the use of one's legal name (contracts, accident reports, affirming surgeries, etc)

Nothing beats a court order showing gov't acknowledgement of your new identity...and really, nothing else is needed for RLE. Some fields (i.e., therapy) don't require legal proof, and can take your word.

Unless you're like me, trying to get a US passport and my birth cert last name doesn't match my previously used name, nor my new legal name...fortunately US State Dept said "if you can show you've used (previous last name, the one referenced on the court name change), we'll accept that."  Turns out I'd kept all my expired drivers licenses for the past 20+ years, and that was sufficient (and a DD214 from 25 years ago).

Some surgeons will use that date as well as far as the date they will use. Meltzer is one of them. Hugs
Mariah

Quote from: Beth Andrea on June 03, 2015, 09:20:42 AM
During my process (3+ years) whenever a doctor needed proof of RLE, the first thing s/he asked was, "Is Beth ____ ____ your legal name? When did you change it?" Some things require the use of one's legal name (contracts, accident reports, affirming surgeries, etc)

Nothing beats a court order showing gov't acknowledgement of your new identity.