So my boss currently has no idea that I was born a girl. But I have to fill out the official forms and such soon. How do I handle this? Can I ignore the M/F question? Do I send him a email, explaining the situation? Will I get into too many issues if I just mark M? I dunno what to do, this is my first job, and I have no clue if my boss is queer-friendly.

does it ask "gender"?  because if it does, I just put "M"...of course, for work, I always put M.  What's it say on your ID?

I don't know, I haven't received the forms yet. My ID technically says F. (I may or may not have used my art skills to fix it into an M so I can get into movies without an awkward encounter.)

It depends where you are. In Canada (or more specifically Ontario, not sure about the rest) I know you're covered in the Human Rights Code for discrimination for Gender Identity. I've also heard that it is illegal for employers to ask your gender on forms for jobs now.

@icontact: How did you make it look like an M??

If you live in the US, I'm pretty sure the SSA recently ended the policy where they send your employer a "no-match" letter if you list yourself as a sex other than the one social security has you listed as. I would just mark male, and not worry about it.

@Kentrie; I simply put a piece of tape over the top and used a very fine tip marker. Use the cheap kind of tape that's very slightly opaque. It will get rid of the shine on the card so that the difference between the print and the marker will be much less obvious, and then it'll just look like you put some sort of protective laminate on your ID. Obviously, you have to be pretty good at freehanding letters, and it won't stand up to any intense scrutiny, but for a general view-over, especially to someone who lacks an art background and therefore cannot notice minor inconsistencies, and especially if you pass well, it'll do just fine.

@Brendon; Just researched this, and unfortunately, they have resumed the practice.

See article:
http://www.shrm.org/LegalIssues/FederalResources/Pages/SSANo-MatchLetters.aspx

And as a resource in case anyone else is interested:
http://transequality.org/Issues/nomatch.html

I am stealth at my job as well.  My ID still says "F"

I put male on the forms, because its what I am, and its how I present and look.  I would look funny and really confuse everyone if I put female.

I did have to give my boss my ID, but I "accidentally" got a little bit of white nail polish right on the F part.

there were no problems, and they had no reason to doubt me.

I can't get that first link to work because I don't have a membership. But this doesn't sound right. They JUST changed the policy...and now you're saying that they changed it back a couple of days later? Are you sure you're not reading an old press release?

Before transition, I hated checking the F box, so I would leave it blank. Somebody else always filled it in for me, and they never asked. You might try that. But if all of your identification says F--especially if it's true that the SSA is sending out no-match letters again--you are in a tight spot. If you say male and they find out that you're legally female, that could cause problems down the road. Know what the possible consequences are before you decide. I knew a guy who was denied employment because he lied about his military service, but he made a truly egregious error--said he was an officer when he wasn't.

You can't get your driver's license/state ID card changed?

Don't be surprised if you're asked to produce identification as part of the hiring procedure. I don't think anyone looks too closely, though.

Most job forms are never looked at again. Leave it blank if you wish. I forgot is a good defence about that sort of minor stuff.

In Australia all of my forms are marked gender F. No one has questioned anything even though my BC, passport and DL say male (at the moment).

I do see a lot of employment forms, part of my job, I note the name, whether they have had a police check (mandatory for my people) if they have filled in their tax file numbers and an emergency phone/contact number. Don't really care about the rest. I've already interviewed them, checked the references so what else do I need?

Oh also probably the first question I ask any new people I employ is 'What is your preferred name?' Because lots of people present at interview with Dominic or Felicity etc. But they never call themselves that. So I ask, and that is what they are introduced as to other workers and that is how I address them.  I never go to the crap of saying this is Rose who likes to call herself Arthur. I simply say I would like you to meet Arthur etc.

Never seems to be a problem for me.

Cindy

Quote from: Arch on September 21, 2011, 12:52:37 AM
especially if it's true that the SSA is sending out no-match letters again-

They've supposedly stopped it.

I would mark "M" because you´re a male and nobody has the right to be interested in what you have on your chest and in the crotch But I don´t know the laws in your country... I also got a job two months ago and nobody knows that I am pre-op FTM. I changed the "F" on my ID to the "M" and when I had to write my birth certificate number (BCN) I told them that the register office made a mistake (in my country everyone has a BCN and it includes a special number that says if you´re a male or a female). My boss accepted that and didn´t doubt that I was a male

I'd leave it blank and then check it M if anyone makes an issue of it. AND, I would suggest that you have your paperwork in process before someone makes a big deal of it. Back when I went through all this stuff, I did have to have my paperwork in order and have all the legalities taken care of before I could put the "F" on an application. Now it is a little more relaxed. But it doesn't hurt to have yourself covered in case someone wants to raise a stink. If they do, you will have legal recourse, and no one wants that.

Cindi

Quote from: Kohdy on September 21, 2011, 05:08:26 PM
I'd like to know whether or not it's true that they are still doing no-match letters for gender.

http://www.bilerico.com/2011/09/trans_employees_no_longer_under_threat_from_social.php

I think you need to be as stealth as possible, to as many as possible, for as long as possible. People can be very cruel, especially when they don't understand. This world/life is tough enough. I have been stealth for more than 25 years to everyone but family. I am still working on getting all my paperwork and numbers in order. It's a mess.

P.S. Start your own business and work for yourself!

@Arch: The article was from April 2011, but the one that Andy posted was from September, so I think they are currently NOT doing no-match letters.

I did need identification papers, but I just handed in my college ID which has no gender marker and my birth cert, but my papers were collected in a big pile with like 12 other people's papers, so I doubt my employer noticed. He didn't give me any strange looks or anything when handing it back, and he's pretty lax about rules and things like that, so I doubt he did more than glance over it.

Quote from: icontact on September 22, 2011, 11:26:06 AM
@Arch: The article was from April 2011, but the one that Andy posted was from September, so I think they are currently NOT doing no-match letters.

That's what I thought. I mean, the recent policy change was being talked about all over trans sites this month, and I didn't think it very likely that the SSA would update the policy and then change it again a few days later, especially since I couldn't find any evidence of it at the actual SSA site. So the SSA shouldn't be a problem for you.

Anyway, sounds like you might have dodged a bullet. Good luck to you. I hope the new job works out great!

Irrelevant but; I miss you Arch! We always had such nice discussions when I was on here more often. I hope you're doing well.

Why, thank you. I'm not around as much, either...at least, I'm more sporadic than I used to be. The tenor of the site is continually changing...

Keep us posted on the job, though--and when WILL you be able to change some docs? I guess it depends on your state, and I don't remember whether you ever posted that info.