Gendersaurus Rex

On September 28th, I filed my official name change documents with the courts. I showed up to the county courthouse, had to purchase the packet of forms (since my printer isn’t working), sat on the steps and filled them out, then took them to point A, B, and C and paid money for processing and publication. It took longer to complete the process than I thought it would, but for the most part, it was relatively easy.

Now I just wait 4-6 weeks and then I go appear in court before a judge, and (hopefully) my name will be officially changed. I am really nervous that something is going to screw up, and it won’t get approved. However, I do know other people that have filed for a name change in this district (and were trans) and got it approved by using the same reason I put down on the form. If you didn’t know already, the form requires you to give a “reason” for why you are changing your name. To avoid transphobic bullshit, its reccomended that you do not write down “because I am transgender” on the form (not to mention, that bit of information likely would be published in the paper right alongside your intentions to change your name). Thus, the majority of transgender people I know have had to come up with reasons that were equally valid and not suspicious. I chose to use “common usage” as my reason because it’s true. I am changing my name from my birth name to a name everyone knows me by (except my parents and siblings). I meet new people and that is the only name they associate with me. I use that name on every form (even job applications) unless the form asks for my social security number (in which case I legally must put my birth name).

I am still waiting… but once I receive the newspaper clipping in the mail, I have to go back to the courts, get a court date, and then show up before a judge to get the final approval. If its approved then, I recieved a notarized court document that states my name has legally be changed, and then I start the process of calling schools, banks, creditors, social security, my birth state, and everywhere else that my legal name is published, to get it changed over.

I went ahead and put in my name change because I realized that I want to apply for graduate school, and I do not want to apply for graduate school with my birth name. Dually I haven’t recieved my BA from my undergraduate university, and it would nice to have them not have to reprint it once I proceeded with a legal name change post-graduation.

I am tired of stalling certain aspects of my transition for others, especially when they are holding me behind in life. Its time to just do the changes that will make me happy, and hope that everyone adjusts to it in their own time. I can’t dictate my life around others anymore.

And coming to this decision, has been really difficult for me, but its about time.

Filed under: All Posts, Transition