After going "full-time" in early September, it took me about a month to realize that it was time to change my I.D. to properly reflect my true name and gender. I knew that it would only be a matter of time until I was challenged regarding the identification or the name on my credit card that I was presenting to someone. The final clincher was that my passport was coming due in less than six months. I couldn't justify renewing it under my old name and gender only to have to redo it again in short order down the road. So, it was time to officially become Sofie.
I must admit that I hadn't been sure what the legalities were for changing one's gender marker in Ontario. I had wrongly assumed that I'd have to wait until my medical processes were complete. It turns out that I was wrong. Thanks to recent Canadian court decisions, one may change their official gender marker in Canada to match their true gender identity without undergoing any surgeries. The ten provinces and three territories, who are responsible for registering births and handing out most of the I.D.s that one usually draws upon in daily life, have changed their policies to reflect that, with some minor differences.
There were two things that I was intending to do at the same time: change my name, and change my gender marker. The first of those is less cumbersome to undertake. People change their names all the time. In Ontario, as long as the requested name isn't contrary to the public good (e.g. Heil Hitler Smith would probably result in a polite rejection letter), you can pretty much call yourself whatever your heart desires.
The Province of Ontario has pretty much every form you could think of available for download and printing on their website. The Name Change form is about 19+ pages long (make sure you have a lot of ink!). Most of the fields can be filled in electronically to keep everything neat. For obvious reasons, the government wants to make sure that you are not changing your name with nefarious intent (e.g. to avoid a debt or a criminal warrant). To that end you will have to list all your significant debts on the application form. You will also have to admit to any history of criminal charges and convictions, or any other matters that are presently before the courts. If you have any criminal history, whatsoever, you will have to request a criminal background check, at your cost, from your local police dept. This background check will have to be included with your application.
You will need your application to be signed by a guarantor. This is usually someone from a small number of registered professions who has known you for a period of time (e.g. a doctor, a judge, a priest, etc.) If you are married, or in a common-law relationship, you will have to get your spouse to fill out a part of the application that attests to the fact the they are aware of your requested name change, and are o.k. with it. I suppose this is in place to stop someone from skipping out on their familial obligations. The spouse cannot be compelled to sign the form, and you can still change your name without their sign-off, but it will be a bit more difficult for you. You will have to explain to the province why the form is not completed. I didn't read the fine-print too closely regarding that situation as it didn't apply to me. I also don't know whether that applies to someone having an ex-spouse. You will have to read the fine print, which is expressly described in the application.
One must remember that the Ontario government publishes all name changes in the Ontario Gazette - the official transcript of all governement business in the Province of Ontario. Provincial law allows for transgender persons to request that their name change not be published (to protect personal safety). You must download a specific form from the Ontario government website that activates this request, and include the form with your name change application.
Your request to change your gender marker is done on a totally separate form from the name change application. The gender marker change application form is much shorter than that for the name change, but has other hoops that you must jump through. Firstly, you must include a letter from your GP (or other health care provder - a list is provded on the website) stating that your current gender marker does not reflect your true gender identity, and that changing your gender marker to ... will reflect your true gender identity. The exact required wording is presented in the website. This must be an original letter, not a photocopy. The only hiccup in my application process occurred because my doctor used an automatically generated signature on her letter. It was returned to me and I had to have her sign it by her own hand in ink.
You will also have to surrender all copies of your current birth certificate with the application. They don't want extra yous floating around out there! (If you know that you have lost a previously issued birth certificate, type and sign a seperate letter attesting to the fact, and include it with your application form).
Everything has a fee and, of course, you will have to provide your credit card information on both applications. You'll be paying for the processing of the applications, as well as your new birth certificate in your new name and gender. (Yay!)
The question has been asked which application form should be submitted first, your name change or your gender marker change. Both applications are handled by the Registrar General's office in Thunder Bay, Ontario. There is an information line listed on the applications. I phoned the number and asked that exact question. The very helpful person on the other end stated that both applications are handled in the same office, usually by the same person. So, mail them together in one large manila envelope. Don't be afraid to use little post-it notes if you think certain things need extra explanation.
While, officially, the province would like you to directly mail your application bundle to the RG in Thunder Bay, I discovered another way to submit the paperwork. Through a tip on another website, I learned that the Service Ontario office at 47 Sheppard Av E in Toronto also accepts the applications in person. I went with this route because I wanted everything double-checked before it got sent away. I don't know if the applications would be accepted at other SO offices. They are notorious for offering differing levels of services.
The processing time is offered as 6 to 8 weeks. As I said, I had my doctor's letter returned to me by the end of the second week. The clerk's check-off sheet was included, which cleared showed that everything else that I had submitted was accepted. (Yay!) Now, I just have to wait for my new birth certificate to arrive in the mail.
In Canada, your birth certificate is "Document 0". Most every other official document that you will get in your life depends on your birth certificate: your provincial driver's licence; your O.H.I.P. health card (yay government health care!); your passports, etc., etc. All these things will cost more money, and involve more trips to various government offices. But, it's happening, and I'm not bothered in the least to do the footwork to become the real me.
I will add to this thread as I move along the document process. I will be sure to mention any hiccups that I encounter along the way.
If anyone else in Ontario (or elsewhere in Canada, for that matter) can add anything, or has any questions, feel free to DM me.
