I haven’t started the process of changing my name and gender marker on any of my documents yet. Between having my birth certificate from a very anti-trans state, and now the Supreme Court allowing the government to deny us changing our gender markers on passports, is there even a point in me trying to change my documents? I feel like, best case scenario I have a mix of updated and out-of-date documents, which feels like it would just create more confusion and difficulty.
Yeah, I definitely don’t want to have a male gender marker anywhere. And fortunately the state I currently live in handles changing names and gender markers on driver licenses pretty well.
But it feels like my options are 1) update nothing and be outed any time I have to present ID, or 2) update everything I can, but then possibly have more trouble leaving and entering the country, or have people think I’m stealing my own identity, etc, due to the incongruity with the stuff I can’t update.
Maybe it would be better to just wait until I pass better, and hopefully by the time I get around to my passport we have a better government?
I wouldn’t wait, these updates can take months or longer to happen, if anything I would say you’re late. If you don’t want the male gender marker anywhere, then do everything you can to start removing it.
Also, I wouldn’t worry about leaving or entering the country based on gender marker alone - make sure you have extra copies of your court ordered name change (my court listed gender change as the reason), and this will usually be enough whenever questions start to arise - it unilaterally proves you were your deadname.
Also, it’s possible that if the ship rights itself politically, that in a matter of a few years you will be allowed to self-identify gender markers again.
EDIT:
here are the places I updated name and/or gender:
I would move fast on getting name and gender updated on a Real ID driver’s license, the federal government is already moving to try to deny trans identity for Real ID, so you want to get on that - it will allow you to fly anywhere in the U.S. without requiring a passport that may not have your correct gender marker. Getting a Real ID license with your updated name and gender marker would then allow you to update your name lots of other places, it will be accepted as a legal ID.
Currently I think social security and passports cannot have gender marker updated, but it’s still worth updating the name, and on the passport it can be important to have an accurate photo.
Wow, thank you for the list! That’s going to be really helpful. It feels like a daunting undertaking, but you’re probably right, better to start sooner than later
Edit: Where did you start?/Where should I start? With the name change petition and then drivers license?
yes, get the court ordered name change first, then go for the driver’s license (and if you don’t already have Real ID now is when you would apply for it)
you will need the court order for several places and they don’t always return copies, so I suggest getting many extra official copies (you usually have to pay for those, it’s usually a small fee).
Be prepared with all the necessary documents when you make the name change petition, ask what documents are needed when you go and schedule it at the court.