Of all the topics I've seen, this one has yet to be addressed .. I think.    Changing one's driver's license, social security card, and birth certificate all seem to be relatively easy tasks.  [In Minnesota, the court will even order the Department of Health to seal your prior birth certificate if you so desire!]  Of course, these would be the options for all those that desire "stealth".

The one paper trail I have never seen addressed is one's credit report.  Consider for the moment that this document is requested for such things as buying property, securing a job, and obtaining a new credit card or loan.  An obstacle to resolving this issue would seem to be that credit bureaus also list any "AKA"s.

Short of trying to obtain a totally different social security number (if even possible) and beginning to build one's credit history anew, does anyone have any thoughts?

Shayna

No, it wouldn't be possible to start over with a blank slate.  I believe the procedure is to either wait for them to eventually get it updated or send a copy of the name change document to all 3 bureaus.

Melissa

Although i live in Canada and this may not apply, but I had no problem with dealing with any one in the financial industry.  Banks credit bureaus, credit card companies, etc.  i simply faxed my official change of name certificate and after an telephone conversation all the necessary files were changed.

Of course it's probably a lot different in the US.

Steph

I think it's about the same Steph.

Melissa

I sent a copy of my name change court order to each of the credit companies.  I don't think they list gender.  I know I didn't send them my SRS letter. 

Social Security will change name with court order and gender marker with SRS letter.  Some doctors - like Meltzer - give a different letter to FTMs who haven't had bottom surgery and SSA may not change their gender marker.  Might not know that for sure until my husband gets his Medicare card.  He was changed to male after his surgery, but SSA attorney was a lot more picky when he applied for spousal benefits and they investigated our marriage.

Your old name is kept in the SSA database and is visible to their workers.

Stealth is a matter of degree.  Sealed BC or not, old records never seem to go away, and there are times when one needs the audit trail back to the old gender.

Robyn

I got all of my records changed with only the letters from my doctors and my name change decree. Most didn't even look at my letters. As far as my social security, I got my name changed but have not seen any place that says what gender I am. I get letters from them on how much I make etc. etc. and none of them have any place for gender. My wifes files are the same, no gender marker. As far as getting credit goes, I just changed my name and anyplace that had gender marker, I marked female. They all accepted that, even my home loan when I got that changed. I thought it was going to cost me some money to do my home loan, but it didn't. I can't say that for all loan companies though. I'm not going to change my birth certificate as I really don't need to do that. I have never used my BC for anything except to get my passport. I now have a new passport and it has all my updated changes. I got that changed just before my trip to Thailand. Now, I know it will be different for some in other states, but in Oregon this is what happened. It was very easy. I now get junk mail from credit places  for Sheila. My credit rating is as good as ever and I'm married, making me one of the few same sex marriages.
Sheila

Quote from: Shayna on July 14, 2006, 03:56:31 PM
Short of trying to obtain a totally different social security number (if even possible) and beginning to build one's credit history anew, does anyone have any thoughts?

It is possible to get a new number.  the day I walked into the local SSA office, they asked if I wanted one.  I said no.  Besides - they would have transfered all of your old records (name, income, status, etc) to the new number.  I didn't bother.

Where the problem comes in, as some very close friends of mine have discovered, is getting SSA to pay in particular to the spouse, as SSA does not recoginize same sex marriages.  These friends have been through hell and highwater with SSA.  The local SSA office pulled some really dirty tricks - e.g "losing" the paperwork ( 3 times), changing the TS persons gender designation back to the old gender, etc.  They seem to have finally succeeded but they did have to engage the services of their local congress person and the Transgender Law Center.

Hi Shayna: 

I personally had to send a copy of my name change to Equifax, Transunion, and Experian; they also requested a copy of my social security card and driver's license.
Prior to 911, the SSA didn't require proof of SRS to change the gender marker on its records, so I was very lucky to have it changed then.  Most social security documents don't state your gender; however, if you wish, you may want to get a copy of your social security records by going to one of their offices and requesting a numident record report.  This report contains all the information regarding your SSN, the times you've applied for a duplicate card, the names you have used, the sex you used to be...etc.


tinkerbell

Quote from: tinkerbell on July 14, 2006, 09:22:12 PM
Prior to 911, the SSA didn't require proof of SRS to change the gender marker on its records, so I was very lucky to have it changed then. 

As of July 2005, they still didn't.  I just had to show my drivers license with the new gender.  And the DMV in California didn't require it either. 

Changing gender on your passport in the States, however, does require an affadavit from the surgeon for a permanent passport.  A temporary passport (valid for 1 year) will be issued with a supporting letter from your treating physician (not necessarily the surgeon) while you are pre-op.

Karin, I got a passport and only had my drivers license and my birth certificate. I had my letters and all the documentation needed but didn't use them. My birth certificate has not been changed and I got a ten year passport to go to Thailand for surgery. I never said why I was going. The only question was that I may need another picture as my hair kind of bushed out and was cut out of the picture. It does that in humid weather.
Sheila

SSA keeps your gender marker in their database.  You will see it when you turn 65 and receive your medicare card.  If it says 'Male' Medicare will not pay for mammograms, pelvic exams, etc. 

If you take your certified SRS letter to the local SSA office, Sheila, they'll make a copy and change the gender marker.

Robyn

It's amazing how many different systems, methods, requirement, procedure and policies we have to go thought to get our documents sorted out with the correct name and gender.

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to go to one place to get everything done at once.

Steph

Quote from: Sheila on July 15, 2006, 10:02:35 PM
Karin, I got a passport and only had my drivers license and my birth certificate. I had my letters and all the documentation needed but didn't use them. My birth certificate has not been changed and I got a ten year passport to go to Thailand for surgery. I never said why I was going.

What was the gender marker and were you modifying an existing passport or getting one for the first time? I had a pre-existing passport.  This is what was required of me when I changed my name & gender.

I got a new passport and the gender marker was and is female. I thought it was so simple, I thought I was going to have to get out all my papers and for that only get a passport for only 1 year, like everyone told me I was going to get. When it came back to me it was a 10 year passport with the gender marker right, female. I don't know what I did but it just happened.
Sheila

Now that's cool.  They put me and several of my friends through the wringer.  We all had existing passports we were changing.