I have good news to share, and just can't keep it in. 

One of the higher-ups at work calls everyone by name whenever he walks by: "Hi Amber, Hi Simon, Hi Shayna, Hi Jim".  Well, I always got greeted by my male name.  I didn't want to fuss over it because I figured he'd switch when I got my name change done, but he just called me Jessica for the first time, and just went on about his business like it was no big deal.  We didn't stop to chat, just a quick little acknowledgement, and everyone's on their way. 

A few more weeks of this and I'm going to start thinking "[male name]?  Who's that?" 

AND *squeeee* my name change hearing is on Friday!!!!!

Congrats and congrats! That was way cool and a nice way of showing public support.

So after the hearing how long will it take for the name change to be final?

The guy's got class.

Congrats on your court date! Wow! Have fun!

Affirmation is scarce in our business. congrats on your next step into your future.

Thanks to all for the kind words and well wishes! 

Quote from: Syne on July 08, 2009, 07:45:13 PM
So after the hearing how long will it take for the name change to be final?

That's it.  I have to take the court order to various places like SSA and the DMV to get everything switched over, so maybe a few weeks to get everything in place, and then a month or so to get a new driver's license. 

Also, I don't know if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but you can usually change your name on college records, too.  I'm going to be changing the name on both my undergrad and graduate degrees.


And some more good news!!!  I'm full of it this week:
The QA person at work took the liberty of ordering me new lab coats with my new name on.  I was told not to look for my old lab coats anymore since they'd already been sent back, and if I needed one in the meantime, I should borrow one of hers. 

I was totally expecting an uphill battle on all these weird little details, but it seems like everyone is just going along as though we had hired a new person. 

It's equally relieving and sort of weird because I was totally prepared for things to be way harder. 

Wow Jessica!  I am so glad things are going in the right direction in a place you spend a large part of your time. I needed the uplift. It is about time I got to hear some heartening news about employers and I'm glad you have a good one.

Hi LordKAT--

Exactly what I was thinking.  It is possible to have an employer that won't treat you like dirt for being trans. 
I think all too often we end up fearing that we'll lose our jobs or something, so it's nice to find out that there are at least exceptions to that kind of discrimination. 

Thats awesome!  It seriously will help you transition as easily and painlessly as possible.  Seriously I couldn't have done it without work being supportive.  i had a very good experience with my work as a cna in the nursing home. 

I hope things will get even better from here.  Good luck at the courthouse =P

Being a smart manager I'm sure they thought, 'it's easier to go along than to get into a lawsuit.' Don't read more into his actions than that.

Congrats, Jessica!

Quote from: tekla on July 09, 2009, 09:04:47 PM
Being a smart manager I'm sure they thought, 'it's easier to go along than to get into a lawsuit.' Don't read more into his actions than that.

That may be true, but I think that in some cases, if the employee is valuable, it doesn't matter.  At least that's what I tell myself!

In reality, for me, it's more like nobody wants my hours but me!     I'd be very hard to replace.


Jay

Quote from: sneakersjay on July 09, 2009, 09:42:36 PM

In reality, for me, it's more like nobody wants my hours but me!     I'd be very hard to replace.

not in this economy.

I suppose that might be true, but I'd like to think I get what I get by being the best, not by being the guy who does what no one else will do.

Quote from: tekla on July 09, 2009, 09:04:47 PM
Being a smart manager I'm sure they thought, 'it's easier to go along than to get into a lawsuit.' Don't read more into his actions than that.

Agreed, especially since I would tend to think the same thing.  But this was a bit more than going along.  We had a party on Friday with friends, co-workers, etc-- he showed up, brought his wife, and was very friendly and respectful (as was his wife).  The place I work is pretty small, and everyone's generally friendly.  There's certainly an element of being a smart manager involved in that kind of behavior, but sometimes it's equally an effort to simply not be a gaping a$$hole. 
___________________________

As an aside, and I'll post this info in other places, the name change hearing went off without a hitch, but the SSA was a different story.  They wanted a form of ID in my new name before they would change my account.  I think that a carry letter might work (but I'm not sure).  They may have wanted something from a physician, but the guy at SSA just said "doctor" a few times.  Point was, they wanted something with my new name on, and some biographical data (such as DOB).  Eventually, they were able to accept a copy of my name change petition, since that had my DOB on it.  So, if anyone's doing a name change soon, be aware that you'll need more than your SS card and the name change decree. 

In my case, the name change decree just had old and new names on, no other info.  If you live in a different county/state, and your DOB is on the name change decree, maybe you won't have the same problem.  Anyway, I wanted to share just in case. 

SSA said same thing for me, I showed them my new DL. They asked if I wanted the gender marker changed. No problem with the name change at all.