I thought other guys and girls might find this letter useful, if you're having trouble with officialdom getting your title changed. A bit of backstory - I legally changed my name and title about 6 weeks ago to start my "real life test" and when I tried to get my title changed with my company pension, they initially refused. This is the letter I wrote back, with which I successfully got them to agree with me. I thought that other trans people in the UK might find it useful.
QuoteDear ....
Please find enclosed my certified Deed Poll as requested.
I was disappointed that when I spoke to [name] she was unwilling to change my title to Mr and I would like to raise the following points.
* A deed poll is a legally binding document and comprises title as well as name.
* It is not a requirement to change gender legally in order to change title. I am legally free to use whatever title I wish, provided that it does not infer professional qualification, military rank or aristocratic title.
* [name] asked for "proof of surgery" when in fact no such thing exists for transsexual people. She may be referring to the Gender Recognision Certificate which allows for legal change of gender. A GRC is issued only after a person has been living in the new name and title for a minimum of 2 years and surgery is not a requirement to obtain one.
* It is illegal to ask to see the GRC: the GRC allows gender to be changed on the birth certificate and that should be taken as sufficient proof of gender change.
I do not, at present, care if you leave my gender on your file as "female" because I am aware that there are different rules regarding the pension. But I do require that my title is changed to Mr and shown as such on all correspondence. The reason for this is that I am required to provide such documentation, including dates and title, to prove that I am now living in a male role. Without such evidence I would not be able to obtain a GRC in the future.
For further information regarding the legal aspects of name and title change, please refer to the following document: (Press for Change: Name Changes) The whole website (Press for Change) is full of useful information on the legal aspects of transition.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Lewis ...
My original letter included links for Press for Change but I understand that I'm not allowed to post them here. If you google for "Press for Change" there is a link to the right file on the front page.
I appreciate that this is very UK-centric, and won't be much use for those of you in the US or elsewhere but you may be able to adapt it to suit your own local laws. Feel free to copy away if it's of any use to you.
