As someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, it may be your wish to change your name. You may even want to change your gender and name along with it.
It is a good idea to change your gender marker along with your name change if you are at that stage of your transition. Doing so can help you avoid some legal troubles that could happen if your name and apparent gender don’t match your birth certificate. It may be more difficult to get a marriage license because of discrepancies between the birth certificate and your social security information or other documents, for example.
Why is changing your gender marker important?
Of course, changing your gender on your birth certificate can also help you minimize the risk of others knowing about your transition without you wanting them to. This can be particularly important if you intend to travel to a country using your birth certificate or a passport that do not match.
Whether you are looking to change your gender or your name, both are possible. Your attorney can help you fill out the correct paperwork and obtain new copies of accurate documents, so that you are sure that all of your documents match. You don’t want any discrepancies that could impact other legal cases or events in your life in the future.
Being an ally means helping when you’re needed
Your attorney is there to be an ally to you, whether you’re just starting this process or are beginning to handle the legal aspects of your transition. Your attorney may be able to help you with issues such as:
- Changing your name
- Altering your gender marker on your birth certificate and other documents
- Making sure your legal documents match
- Creating an estate plan with your new information
- Changing your last name after marriage
…and many others. You deserve to be treated fairly and to have documents that represent who you really are. Your attorney will take steps to make this process as simple as possible for you, so you can have the right documents set up for your legal needs.