The Texas Department of Public Safety rule change surfaced in an internal email that also asks driver license staff to compile the names of people seeking a gender marker change.
The Texas Department of Public Safety rule change surfaced in an internal email that also asks driver license staff to compile the names of people seeking a gender marker change.
God, I wish it was that easy when I changed my name and gender… and that was in California! My understanding is CA doesn’t require this anymore, but after I got my court order I had to get my doctor to fill out this form certifying me as a Real Transgender before the DMV would update shit. And this wasn’t in the 90s or anything, it was less than a decade ago. I consider myself lucky that the requirement to publish an ad in the paper announcing your name change was removed before I got mine done.
What the fuck? Please tell me this is a joke that’s going over my head.
Edit: Holy shit, I just looked into it, I had no idea this was a thing in some states. What the hell, how is this not considered incredibly endangering to people?
It absolutely is not a joke. It’s normal for regular name changes to require publishing a notice in the paper as well, the idea being that it’s a way to keep people honest (or at least findable) if someone is changing their name to duck out on their debts. There are exceptions for publishing notices if you’re changing your name due to domestic violence and stuff like that too.
But as is immediately obvious to anyone with a couple of brain cells to rub together, it can be INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS to a trans person to announce in the paper that they’re having a big trans name change!
I changed mine a decade ago in NY, it was a requirement then. The judge almost denied my name change because he couldn’t comprehend why someone would change their name for non-marital reasons.
Having legal recognition as a trans person is a lot easier now, but it’s still not perfect and requires so many layers of additional bullshit bureaucracy that cis people don’t have to deal with.
My state still does that and requires an updated birth certificate and social security card. My birth state requires an updated driver’s license and secondary ID and court order. I don’t have the energy, time, and money to argue with 2 states, the judicial system, and multiple federal offices, and get a therapist to sign off on the fact that I’m not just submitting myself to all this as an elaborate prank.