Hi all,

I've been full time for a month now, and I just got a summons for jury duty next month. I haven't changed my documents yet, and I'm a little worried that if I present as female I'll get in trouble. I'll also have to check if they have some sort of bathroom policy, though I believe my state has state employee trans protections so it's probably ok. It's a circuit court in Virginia.

I actually would like to be empaneled, I think it would be an interesting experience. But I'm also still very shy around strangers, while I pass from long to medium distance, I still get odd feelings from people up close (cashiers mostly). They usually just don't say sir or ma'am.

Any advice or experience?

"Virginia law does not include statewide protections against workplace discrimination or hate violence based on either sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

However, in January 2014, Governor McAuliffe signed Executive Order Number 1, which prohibits the discrimination of state employees based upon sexual orientation, and, for the first time in Virginia history, gender identity."

I would ask whether Executive Order Number 1 extends to jurors.

I can't help you with the technicalities, since I don't know your court system.

I did want to comment on this, though...

Quote from: AnamethatstartswithE on July 15, 2018, 05:09:59 PM
I actually would like to be empaneled, I think it would be an interesting experience.

I totally agree.  I was called up for jury duty and served on one jury.  And it was indeed an interesting experience, one I would recommend to anyone.  It is rare to see the working of a courtrooom from the inside.

Unless you seek and get an excuse, you need to turn up on the day your called. If you consider yourself in RLE, then it would be to your advantage to have a letter from your therapist stating such. We called it a carry letter however I always thought of it as a get out of jail free card because at that time the law didn't allow you to appear in public with a disguise. It was our defense against a trip to jail for a traffic stop.

I hope this doesn't sound too stupid, but can you still be arrested if you presented female but were still registered as male on your driver's license?  Do you still need to carry such a letter with you?  I should know this as I was a cop before I retired.  I did have a couple encounters with males presenting as female, but I was never aware of any disguise law.

Quote from: Breeze 57 on July 15, 2018, 05:58:44 PM
I hope this doesn't sound too stupid, but can you still be arrested if you presented female but were still registered as male on your driver's license?  Do you still need to carry such a letter with you?  I should know this as I was a cop before I retired.  I did have a couple encounters with males presenting as female, but I was never aware of any disguise law.

I thought that went away with the '60s myself, though I could be wrong. I thought a carry letter was more about insurance in case you were confronted in the bathroom. I may be wrong however.

California and many other states still had some pretty odd laws on the books in the late 1970's (remember I am old ). The carry letter would help you in the case of a bathroom issue, a traffic stop or any other reason you might need to backup what your saying. The truth is I never need needed my letter but it was comforting to know I had it.

Quote from: AnamethatstartswithE on July 15, 2018, 06:01:16 PM
I thought that went away with the '60s myself, though I could be wrong. I thought a carry letter was more about insurance in case you were confronted in the bathroom. I may be wrong however.

Bathroom, courtroom, whatever.  If you can get a letter, it would be a prudent thing to have with you, in the absence of any other documentation.

I can pretty much guarantee you will be treated well and gendered correctly in female presentation even if your docs don't martch if you are in any courtroom in Los Angeles County, California. 

Other transgender attorneys and I have worked very hard for a lot of years to make that happen.

Now about Virginia:  https://www.vaequalitybar.org/. Try contacting these folks.  Maybe they can refer a local attorney to answer your question.

Hugs, Carly

Having been a cop helped me avoid jury duty; the defense lawyers do not want cops/ex-cops on the jury. I got excused every time. When I turned 70 I marked the box "70 & over, no more summons.

Having spent numerous hours in courthouses and courtrooms, I long ago came to the conclusion that the wrong people were behind bars in many cases.

Best Always
Christine

I had this situation come up myself. I was to the point that I had purged my wardrobe almost completely off men's clothes. All I had were women's clothes that were court appropriate. When the juror questionnaire came I was forthcoming that I was transgender and would likely be appearing as female. My legal name change was in the works but not yet filed. I wasn't quite ready to deal with appearing female yet, as I wasn't full time. I borrowed my son's clothes for the three times that I had to appear. The fourth time was scheduled for the same day that I was to appear for my legal name change. I sat for one jury and afterwards the defense attorney asked what my pronouns were (she had actually read all of the jury questionnaires!).

My best advice is to call the jury clerk's office and inform them that you are transgender. As long as you are forthcoming they can't really do much. The clerk will likely pass on the information to the judge and probably the attorneys.

If you don't think you are ready yet for this kind of experience, just ask for a deferment. If approved, they normally will call you a few months later.

I've served on 2 different juries since my transition and never had any problems. I highly recommend it because actually being on a jury is completely different than court room drama TV shows and movies.