Happy Re-birth Day!
Five years ago this week I completed the process of having my name and gender officially recognized and recorded by the state. The laws and procedures have changed in California and other states since I did this, largely for the better.
In November I put together the various forms and documents needed for the legal gender and name change. The Transgender Law Center’s “ID Please” guide was very useful in doing this. The petition, doctor’s letters required for the gender marker change, and supporting forms were all filed with the court, and I was given a court date of January 13, 2017 to appear for the name change proceeding.
While waiting for the court date, I prepared the various documents that I would need in addition to a court order to revise my birth certificate, passport, and drivers license. I wanted to get all of this filed before January 20, 2017, as on that date a new federal administration would come into power, and I was concerned about how they might want to alter policies and procedures compared to the previous administration.
The court did offer the option of simply picking up the records on approval, after which I could file them with the county clerk. I decided to appear instead, just in case one of our local cranks decided to raise an objection to my name and gender change request.
Here’s my record of the day from 5 years ago.
I think I just set some sort of record.
My petition to the Court requesting the government acknowledge my existence was heard this morning at 9:00 AM. The judge had a couple of other name change petitions this morning, and called us all forward by name, to be seated at the Petitioner and Respondant tables. Yes, I heard “Michelle Jean Paquette” called for the first time in that courtroom.
He then signed the documents, passing them to the clerk, who did something with the computer system and then handed us the documents. He told us to take them downstairs to Filing, get them recorded, and get certified copies. (Nothing unexpected there.) In at 9:00, and out with my court order recognizing me at 9:08.
I had the order filed at once, and got my certified copies, embossed with the court seal and stamp, and signed by the Clerk. By 10 AM I was home. I put the car away, grabbed my prepared materials, and added the court order copies. Time for a little walk to the Civic Center.
At 10:30 I was in the Post Office queue, and by 11 (they ARE the post office…) I had posted a packet to the Department of Vital Records, by priority mail, that should arrive Monday. That one requests the birth certificate under the new name and gender, and seals the old certificate.
At 11:10 I had checked in at Social Security and was in their queue. At noon, my Numident record had my new name and gender inserted. Off to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
At 12:15 I was in the DMV queue. At 12:30, they rejected my paperwork, due to a blank ‘Case Number’ field in the doctor’s form. Kaiser doesn’t seem to actually have case numbers, after calling them, but my Medical Record Number would do. Yay cellphones. OK, I fill that in and get back in the queue. Eventually a really nice older woman calls my number, and we chat while she gets the system to open up the name/gender change screens. A manager has to sign the forms, and then unlock the screen so the clerk can enter the new information. At 2:08 PM, I have the traditional bad photo taken, and I am out the door, new license on the way, old license sealed.
Five hours from gavel strike to being done with the Birth certificate, Social Security card, and Drivers License. The SS and DMV cards will be here within 2 weeks. The birth certificate takes a few months, but everything is filed and in process before any administrative rule changes might happen.
Time for a lunch break… Or something…
Over the moon? Elated? Excited? Oh, you bet! I am definitely going to celebrate this event. I don’t know how, just yet, but it will happen.
I had all of my documents, including a corrected passport in my hands by March of 2017. Sometimes, things really do go well. It’s worth celebrating and remembering those good days.
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