20 Years To The 'F' On My License

One of the necessary tasks that we embark on during a gender transition is changing our identity documents to make them match the person we are.    It is a costly and time consuming process to get the name, gender markers and other identity documents changed, and how fast it happens depends in large part on how much money you have in your wallet or purse to do so.

When I started my transition in 1994, money wasn't a problem.   I was an airline employee making a nice living, so it was just a matter of getting the process started and if I incurred fees for doing so, reaching into my purse, pulling out my wallet and pulling out the cash to cover it.

But I also didn't think at the time I started the process it would take me nearly 20 years and living in two states to complete it.

I started with getting my Social Security card changed in 1998 since it is pretty much next to your drivers license a de facto national ID card. While the Social Security Administration won't change the SSN number for numerous reasons, they will change the gender marker and name on it.  

Since Clinton was president when I did so, it was a no drama situation.   During GW Bush's presidency, a problem arose with the SSA starting in 2002 to send 'No Match' letters that had the effect of outing trans people to their employers.

My next task was my Texas voter registration card.   I was determined to be voting in the upcoming 2000 presidential election as Moni, and I successfully completed that in October 2000 just a month before that election.  .Little did I know at the time that less than three months after I got that voter registration changed that I would be bounced from that airline job I'd been at for 14 years and was planning to retire from.

It was a seismic change to my life and my finances, and I now had to adjust to making half of the $40K a year I was making.   While I was upset about it at the time, the September 2001 move to Louisville produced an unexpected blessing that happened two weeks after I moved there.

In Kentucky the name change process in Jefferson County where I now lived was a simple, one page administrative form in which I filled out the info, swore it was accurate and true, and when I was done signed it and paid my then $10 fee.  It was then mailed to me a few days later stamped and signed by the court.

However, while my name now was officially Monica, the only way the gender marker was getting changed under Kentucky law at the time was if I had a 'gender altering surgery'.  Because of my loss of the airline job and using the money I'd saved for surgery to pay bills in the six months I was unemployed in Texas prior to the move to Kentucky, SRS had now become a back burner luxury item

I knew I was going to need to change my birth certificate and file the name change I'd received in Kentucky back in Texas, but that also got put on the back burner as I spent time getting adjusted to my life in Da Ville and dealing with far less discretionary income in my bank account.

I moved back to Houston in May 2010 to help take care of my grandmother, but that still meant that my income was limited to deal with the paperwork issue.  I still had my Kentucky drivers license in my possession that wasn't expiring until June 2013 with correct name but wrong gender marker, but my Texas voter registration was correct.  

But two events in June 2013 would galvanize me to get serious about completing my documentation and infuse it with a sense of urgency.   The unjust ruling in the Shelby vs Holder SCOTUS case gutting Section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act meant that the unjust Texas voter suppression law could be enforced, and if I wanted to vote in the upcoming November Houston city elections, I now needed a Texas drivers license.  

We also had a family reunion coming up in Denver in June, when my Kentucky license was scheduled to expire.  That process to simply renew my license in the time I'd been away from Texas had been made more difficult by our Texas GOP majority and it took me nine months to get my Texas drivers license.   I also spent a very nervous trip every time it was my turn to get behind the wheel on our 1700 mile drive to that reunion that took us across Texas through Dallas, Oklahoma, Kansas and eastern Colorado to get to Denver and back

The urgency to have the Texas driver's license in my possession before the November Houston mayoral election did force me to get moving on filing my Kentucky name change in Austin.  I ended up as a result of that nine month Lone Star bureaucracy battle with a new Texas birth certificate and a TDL with correct name but incorrect gender markers.

But it was a driver's license I didn't receive until two months after the election in January 2014, which meant I was voter suppressed out of it..

Fast forward to the 2016 election, the next event that ratcheted up my concern for finishing the process I'd started in 1998.  Because I'm a frequent flier, I was also getting tired of showing my mismatched ID at TSA security and other locations and getting jacked up at times because of it.

But as a native Texan, I was going to need to go to court to change that gender marker, and in Harris County, many of our judges are Republicans who routinely deny name changes to trans people.   Thanks to the blue wave that swept many of those regressive Harris County GOP judges out of office and replaced them with diverse Democratic judges, I hope that reprehensible pattern changes.  

But it still costs money to make that name and gender marker process happen, and here's where another unexpected blessing happened that got me closer to completing that process.

The Trans National Alliance held a New Year's Eve Great Gatsby themed fundraiser party at Nikki Araguz Loyd's home in which the TNA was raising money to do name changes for trans people who are on limited incomes.

They raised enough money at that fundraiser to fund two name changes, and I was shocked and surprised to find out moments after we counted down the start of 2017 that I would be one of the people receiving that name change assistance along with Dee Dee Watters.


Two weeks ago Nikki, Dee Dee and I rolled to Austin.  We made happen in the span of five hours getting Dee Dee's name and gender marker change process started, getting me fingerprinted at a nearby Passport Express location from the courthouse, the court order for the gender marker change, getting the request for my new corrected birth certificate submitted, and taking the photo for my new Texas drivers license with the only 'F' I've ever wanted at an Austin DPS office.

And before heading back to Houston, we celebrated the accomplishment while waiting for ATX rush hour traffic to die down with dinner.

Transgender National Alliance is having a dinner and drag bingo fundraiser on March 14 at Hamburger Mary's, so check it out, reserve a table and help TNA raise some money to make happen for other trans people with their identity documents what happened for me and Dee Dee.

Yesterday I received my new birth certificate and Texas driver's license in the mail.  I cried joyful tears when I pulled them out of their respective envelopes and saw my full name with the 'F' and 'female' in the gender marker box on both documents.

Have a trip coming up at the end of the month to Orlando for the LGBT Media Journalists convening, and can't wait to show my drivers license to airline employees, TSA security and hotel desk personnel without having a sense of dread or acute embarrassment happening when I reluctantly pull it out of my wallet.

Now it's just getting my passport so I can finally do some international travel and some other records, and the journey will be complete.   But the major mountain in terms of my identity documents has been climbed. .

It was a long journey to get to this point full of twists, turns, frustration and drama, but seeing and knowing that my documents finally line up with the person I know I am and the world sees me as is priceless.
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Trans Bolivians Gain Ability To Change Gender On Identity Documents

South American nations have been international leaders  in passing trans friendly human rights laws, and Bolivia just became the latest South American nation to do so.

While Bolivia's constitution since 2009 has prohibited discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, unfortunately hearts and minds have yet to catch up with the laws.  But TBLGI activists keep fighting for their humanity and respect despite that slow pace of acceptance.

After local trans activist Raysa Torriani proposed a bill three years ago to the national assembly that would allow trans Bolivians to change their name and gender markers on official identity documents, the Ministry of Justice announced an administrative policy change that will allow trans Bolivians to do so.

Justice Minister Virginia Velasco Condori announced at a Wednesday press conference that the Ministry of Justice has issued an administrative order that changes the law and policies relating to civil registration that include the General Service Personal Identification Number and the Civil Registry Service.

Persons wishing to change name and gender markers on identity documents must apply to the Ministry of Justice and undergo a psychiatric examination before the process is approved.

It's not as good as the Argentine Gender Identity Law that is considered the gold standard of international trans identification laws, but it's a start.

Chase Gets Her Drivers License

Due to my housing drama that blew up in mid to late June and July, I missed some of these trans themed stories that occurred during that time period.

One of the stories that had a happy ending was of South Carolina trans teen Chase Culpepper.  You'll recall that Culpepper ran into a transphobic DMV employee in the Anderson. SC office that forced her to take off the makeup she was wearing for her license photo back in March 2014.  

She won a federal lawsuit that not only allowed her to take that license photo that more accurately reflects who she is, but changed DMV policy.

Culpepper also received an apology from the South Carolina DMV for the unnecessary transphobic drama they took her through.

She finally got the opportunity to take that correct license photo, and WYFF-TV news cameras were there to watch what transpired.



Happy for Chase.  It's also an example of our trans younglings showing us trans elders by example that they are not only won't back down in the face of transphobic discrimination, but will fight it tooth and nail.

Gotta love her for that.

Ireland Agrees To Trans Self-Determination For Gender Recognition Bill

One of the problems that trans people around the world share is identification that matches who they are now, and barriers to acquiring that ID like requiring genital surgery.
Was nice to hear courtesy of the Transgender Equality Network Ireland that the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, T.D. announced that, following the agreement of Cabinet, the application process under the Gender Recognition Bill will for people aged 18 years or more, be based on the person's self-declaration by way of a statutory declaration.

The Gender Recognition Bill will also no longer contain the controversial 'forced divorce' clause that Irish trans people had serious problems with..

"TENI applauds the Government for this hugely significant move. Ireland has now taken its place as an international leader in this human rights area," said TENI Chief Executive Broden Giambrone. "The Government has shown great vision and conviction in ensuring the rights of trans people. This legislation will significantly improve the lived realities of trans people in Ireland."


Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, the Tánaiste said: "Throughout the drafting of this Bill, I have listened carefully to the views of individual citizens, representative groups and public representatives. It is essential that this important legislation is in line with international best practice. That is why we are moving to a self-declaration model for people aged 18 and over. This approach will have no impact on the treatment pathway which is completely separate from the civil registration process."

TENI Chair Sara R. Phillips said after today's announcement: "This is a momentous moment. To be given the respect to self-determine our gender is true equality. For once I can believe our community are seen as full equal citizens. Today I am so proud of our country."

Indian Trans 2015 PTHC Conference Participant's US Visa Held Up

For those of you who have been attending the upcoming Philadelphia Trans Health Conference that will happen June 4-6 for years, you are quite aware of the fact that the largest trans conference in the United States has garnered a well earned and growing international reputation.

Last year when I attended my first PTHC, I was pleased to discover there were folks from several nations walking those Pennsylvania Convention Center halls and doing panels. 

I met a trans brother from South Africa during one of the panel discussions I'd attended, and had a fascinating conversation with him after it concluded about trans issues in his nation.

Since the trans human rights movement is an international human rights movement, anything we can do as Americans to educate and inform ourselves about what is happening internationally is a bonus to what we are trying to do here.

One of those international trans people invited to participated in this year's 14th edition of PTHC is India's Amruta Soni.  She is an Advocacy Officer for the Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust and is scheduled to speak at PTHC about trans people living with HIV in India on June 5, but the granting of her US visitor's visa has been held up.

The Indian government has enacted a policy that took effect in April which allows trans people in that nation to use a third gender option, denoted by a 'T' in the gender marker on their passports.   Soni has a new passport with the 'T' designation she received on April 17, but when she applied for her US visa, the forms only have binary gender options, so she chose female.

When Soni attended her May 5 visa interview at the US consulate in Kolkota, her visa was neither approved or denied, but was told her application was put on hold because they didn't have information about the 'T' designation, and could only consider the M (male) or F (female) options.

Soni said to the Times of India in an interview, "When the Indian government recognizes us as the third gender, why is the US government so indecisive about it? 

Soni is looking forward to coming to Philadelphia for the PTHC, and expeditiously approved.  Soni said, "it's a great opportunity and I hope I don't miss it out due to my sex".

I and the PTHC organizing team hope you don't miss out on it either, because it would also be a travesty if you couldn't be there to talk about your experiences in India because of a denied visa application.

TransGriot Update:  Soni's visitors visa was granted Thursday after her application was held for two days, so PTHC peeps, you will see her speak on June 5.

GenderProud ID Video

Identification documents that matches who we are as people is vital to us navigating the world with as little drama as possible.

ID that matches our gender presentations is a human right and transpeople shouldn't have to go through bureaucratic hoops and surgical or medical intervention to get it.   ID that matches our gender presentation is also needed so that we can avoid being outed and greasing the skids for anti-trans attitudes and discrimination.

This GenderProud video makes some valid points as to why ID that matches our outward presentation of our deeply held internal gender identities is a human rights issue.

Christie Vetoes NJ Trans Birth Certificate Bill

For you trans, bi and SGL folks in our community who voted for Sergeant Schultz New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) in the last election cycle thinking he was a 'moderate', well, here's something to burst your bubble concerning that misguided line of thinking in addition to the ongoing BridgeGate scandal.

The New Jersey Senate passed on a 21-11 vote back in December A-4097/S-2786, a bill that revises the procedure to issue amended birth certificates for persons born in New Jersey who have undergone a gender transition.  The bill would allow them do so without surgical intervention. 

The bill had previously passed the New Jersey General Assembly on a 43-37 vote back in June.

Christie today gave A-4097 an ABSOLUTE veto, which means it needs a 2/3 majority in both houses to override the veto.  Translation: that's 27 Senate votes and 54 General Assembly votes. 

That means the Democrats, who have the majority in both houses, would not only have to get everyone in their caucus to vote to override, need to have 3 Republicans cross the aisle in the NJ Senate to do so and on the General Assembly side get 7 Republicans to cross party lines to do so.

Seeing that the bill passed the 40 member New Jersey Senate with 21 votes and the 80 member General Assembly with 43 votes, they would need to flip 6 NO votes in the senate and 13 NO votes in the general assembly to reach that override threshold. 

Not likely that's going to happen on the GOP side, especially with a governor with a reputation for punishing his enemies, even if he is politically wounded right now. 

So if you needed another reason to not like Chris Christie, here it is.
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Where In The World Can I Go With My US Passport As A Trans Person?

One of the things that's on my short term to do list is getting my United States passport.  I want to have that issue out of the way in case I get invited to participate in a future international trans conference.  

The cool thing about getting a US passport is you don't need to undergo genital surgery to get the proper gender code on it and it's on the voter suppression laws list of acceptable ID because of the $135 cost.

I do like to travel, and one of the things I regret didn't get a chance to do more often before I reluctantly left the airline industry was fly internationally.

Like a lot of people I have an international travel bucket list of which in addition to seeing the classic tourist attractions like Paris' Eiffel Towel, Beijing's Forbidden City, Tokyo's Ginza district, transiting the Panama Canal and Berlin's Brandenburg Gate I also have attending international sporting events on my agenda like the Olympics, FIFA World Cups, FIBA world championships and tennis Grand Slam tournaments.  

My personal travel bucket list has a mix of well known tourist things to do plus things that are significant to my culture as a child of the African Diaspora and membership in the international trans community.    

Some of the things I'd like to do someday in addition to visiting Paris is going to the D-Day beaches in Normandy.   I want to see Robben Island prison in South Africa, look out of The Door of No Return at Senegal's Goree Island, visit Berlin, Stuttgart where my cousins are and drive on an autobahn, and travel to Holland and visit Anne Frank's annex. 

I want to go to Poland and see Auschwitz, see Mt. Fuji in Japan and ride a bullet train, visit Australia, hang out with Zoe in Canberra, see the Sydney Opera House and catch a footy game.  I want to visit London's Imperial War Museum and The All England Club, see Hong Kong, and spend some quality time with Naomi Fontanos and my transpinay sisters in the Philippines and take in the Amazing Philippines Show while I'm there.  

I'd also like to travel to Thailand, see a show at one of Thailand's trans cabarets, spend quality time with Audrey Mbugua and Lindsay during a Kenyan visit.  I'd like to visit Canada and my Canadian homegirls cis and trans across the country along with doing a dream north of the border road trip. 

But because of the anti-trans animus being stoked in large sections of the Middle East, eastern Europe, Latin America, Malaysia and Indonesia and much of the African continent, there are some of my travel bucket list items I may have to postpone or scratch off the list period for the time being. 

Can't go to Russia or Nigeria.  They both have draconian anti-LGBT laws and Russia will host the 2014 Winter Olympics in a few months.  Bye bye Red Square in Moscow and visiting St. Petersburg. 

Uganda, where Victoria Falls is located not only has a Kill The Gays one they have been trying to pass for several years now, it has rampant transphobia.  There are several sub-Saharan African nations in which transphobia is sadly on the rise.

The Middle East?  Same tired story of rampant anti-trans animus, especially in the Gulf States like Kuwait.  Egypt, the home of the pyramids has denied entry to transpeople into their country from customs and so has Dubai. 

Turkey is the second most dangerous place in the world for trans women and will be the host nation for the FIBA World Championship for Women next year.  

Brazil?  One of the most dangerous places in the world for trans women and the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics will be there.   Mexico?  Increasingly dangerous for trans women.    Greece?  Police harassment and unjust detainment of our transsisters, so that kills visiting the ancient Greek antiquity sites like the Parthenon.  The Caribbean?   We have heard the stories about Jamaica's recent anti-TBLG history.  Some of the other Anglophone Caribbean nations still have British colonial era anti-crossdressing laws on their legal books that could be liberally interpreted by the local po-po's to garner you some unwanted time in the local jails.

Bermuda?  While they just enacted a law expanding rights for gay, lesbian and bi folks, it's still open harassment season for trans people.

Central America?  Anti-trans animus and violent attacks on our transsisters in several of those nations such as Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.  Malaysia and Indonesia?  Anti-trans attitudes spread by fundie Muslims.  Hong Kong was detaining trans women, especially transpinays as you entered customs.

And that's before we even throw in my skin color and racial profiling as a factor.   The fun of just getting on that international flight to leave the USA after going through the TSA security gauntlet and upon your return going through customs as you reenter the US.

So where the hell can I travel as a Black trans woman who wants to see the world before she departs it? 

Theoretically, it's any place on the globe I have the time, cash and desire to visit with the exception of Cuba and North Korea in which US government travel bans are in place.

But realistically, the list of countries I can safely travel to as a trans person is sadly shrinking.

DC Council Unanimously Passes Jones Birth Certificate Bill

Finally, some good news out of Washington DC for a change.  

As the recent birth certificate travails of a Georgia cis woman proved, it's a pain in the behind for trans women to change their documentation to match the person they are now.   The Washington DC Council just made that a little easier for trans and intersex residents of The District.

The DC Council unanimously passed on June 26 the JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013 that seeks to modernize DC's laws and makes it easier for the trans and intersex residents of the District to request birth certificates that reflect their current personal information.

The bill was named in honor of Deoni Jones, the 22 year old girl like us who was killed at NE DC bus stop last year and whose killer still hasn't been tried yet.

The bill requires those seeking to obtain a new DC birth certificate to submit a written and signed request from the person in question and a signed statement from a licensed health care professional attesting that the applicant has received treatment appropriate for a gender transition. The bill also eliminates a requirement that individuals publish their names and gender change in a general publication newspaper for three consecutive weeks.

It also allows people born outside the District of Columbia wanting to amend their name or gender to obtain a court order asking the original jurisdiction to issue a new birth certificate with the corrected information.

This June 26 vote sets up the bill to for final DC Council approval sometime in early July before the summer recess.  Mayor Vincent Gray (D) is expected to sign it into law and once the mandatory 30 day congressional review occurs, will take effect sometime in the fall of 2013.

Huge Social Security Win For Trans Community

The worldwide trans community has been on a good karmic roll lately with either policy or legislative victories in various nations, and we had a huge one come from the Social Security Administration.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced the modernization of the medical requirements transgender people must show to update the gender marker in a person’s social security record, eliminating the archaic genital surgery requirement and replacing it with “appropriate clinical treatment” as several other federal agencies already have done.

SSA also issued guidelines on how staff should interact with transgender people. This includes important protections: confidentiality, proper pronoun usage, and treating trans people with respect and dignity.

This is a crucial change because the Social Security number is used as a defacto national ID and because the varying standards of changing identity documents from state to state lead to inconsistent documentation for trans people.. 

It also a huge win for trans individuals because access to employment, housing, health care and travel all can hinge on having appropriate documentation. When employers and governmental agencies like state Departments of Motor Vehicles encounter SSA document gender discrepancies while verifying a person’s identity, transgender individuals often face discrimination or other hardships.

For our trans elder population on Medicare it's also important because the gender marker on the face of Medicare ID cards is pulled directly from the Social Security database. State government agencies, including Medicaid, also often match data with SSA, causing problems for trans people with mismatched SSA documentation.

Washington DC Proposing Legislation To Ease Trans Birth Certificate Guidelines

More positive news out of Washington DC in that the District of Columbia is working on legislation that would make it easier for trans people to obtain new birth certificates reflecting the people they are now.

“D.C.’s law as it currently exists makes it really hard for trans people to get their vital records in line with who they really are,” said Andy Bowen of the DC Trans Coalition in an interview with WRC-TV

Under the old rules to get a birth certificate change not only required genital surgery, but public notification for several days via classified newspaper ads.  The new ones would simply require a certified statement from a medical doctor and issue a new birth certificate rather than amending the old one.  

Too bad Washington DC's proposed approach isn't universal across this country.   Would make things a lot easier documentation wise for transpeople.   

The DC  Council Judiciary Committee has already approved the legislation and it will come before the full DC City Council in the next few weeks where it is expected to easily pass. 

Audrey's History Making Kenyan Case

I've had the pleasure of conversing with Audrey Mbugua online for several years now and I'm looking forward to the day I finally meet this trailblazing Kenyan trans activist.   .
 
I'm following with keen interest her Kenyan history making legal case in her homeland in which she sued the Kenyan National Examinations Council and the Kenyan Attorney General to change the name on her KNEC certificates and other identity documents including her national identity card and passport to reflect who she is now.

“The process of changing my name and gender in my identity, travel and academic documents was fraught with challenges such as lack of understanding among public officers in charge of these processes,” Audrey says in a recent interview.

The initial court hearing was on May 28 and the counsel representing KNEC and the attorney general asked  High Court Judge Weldon Korir for more time to prepare a response to Mbugua's petition because this case is in their words 'tricky'.   The counsel also indicated that the petition response will require extensive consultations between several Kenyan government departments, including the Registrar of Births and Deaths.

There's nothing 'tricky' about it.  29 year old Audrey lives her life as and presents as female, she has undergone a medical transition except the genital surgery she started in 2001, and her documentation needs to reflect that.

  


Audrey's interview on NTV Kenya



Good luck sis!  Hope common sense prevails on August 6 and your document changes are granted..

Albuquerque Catholic HS Forcing Transman To Wear Female Graduation Gown

In our latest episode of School Administrators Being Transphobic Jerks, we head west to Albuquerque, NM and Saint Pius High.

Damian Garcia is a senior at the Catholic run high school who transitioned and had a legal name change last year.  He is recognized as a male student by his parents, family, fellow students, faculty and teachers. 

“I look at him and I call him my son. That's how he wishes to be acknowledged is as a male,” said father Luis Garcia in a KRQE-TV 13 interview.  .

But Damian's birth certificate still has the wrong gender code on it despite the name change.  The superintendent of the school, reflecting the decade old anti-trans hate injected into the Catholic Church by Dr. Paul McHugh, is seizing on that to force Damian to walk in his graduation in a white robe.  

For some reason Saint Pius HS in its graduation ceremony has male students wear black gowns and female students wear white ones.  Of course Damian wants to wear the gender appropriate gown for him, the black one.

Graduation gown a problem for transgender student

“I just want to walk in my black robe, nice and proud and have that memory to look back on with my family and friends,” said Damian. “I would rather not walk than to embarrass myself by wearing a female robe.”

His father agreed with him. “All you want in life is to see your kids happy and healthy. You never want to see them suffer or being ridiculed or be made fun of,” Luis said.

Your high school graduation should be one of the happiest times in your young life, and the Saint Pius school  superintendent is sapping the joy out of this occasion for Damian by being a transphobic jerk.

Maybe it's time for Saint Pius to consider having everyone wear the same color graduation gown so this doesn't happen again.

Trans Victories In Illinois And Alaska!

The trans wins just keep on coming , with one of them being from a surprising place.

Trans folks living in the Land of Lincoln can now change the gender markers on their birth certificates without having to go through genital surgery. 

There is still a requirement for a type of surgery to be performed but the specifics of that surgery are left up to the individual’s physician, according to Melaney Arnold, Public Health Communications for the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“The vital records code now requires a licensed physician to appropriately complete the affidavit, attesting that the applicant has undergone an operation, by reason of that operation the gender should be changed on their birth record,” said Arnold.

Gender changing operations that would potentially fit this criteria would include a double mastectomy, hysterectomy, orchiectomy, or facial feminization surgery. 

This is a major step forward for trans people who cannot afford the cost of genital reassignment surgery, are worried about the results or feel they don't  need to undergo such procedures.

The other win was in surprise surprise, Alaska

In the wake of an Alaskan superior court ruling that stated that the Alaska Department Of Motor Vehicle requiring proof of genital surgery before it would change the gender marker on a license was an invasion of privacy and unconstitutional, the Alaska DMV got busy writing new regulations to a comply with the ruling.

The new regulations was approved by the lieutenant governor on July 30 after a 30 day comment period and will take effect August 11.

Residents wanting to change their physical description, including sex identifiers must submit certification from a licensed physician, social worker, psychologist, professional counselor, physicians assistant or certified nurse practitioner.

In the certification paperwork the provider must certify that the individual has been undergoing treatment and that the change is expected to be permanent.   The Alaska DMV will accept, but not require documentation to change other physical descriptors such as height, weight or eye color.

This is great news and will help make our lives a little easier in these two states in terms of having idenitfication documents that match our current gender presentations.

New Zealand Considering Trans Passport Policy Change

New Zealand is considering making some policy changes that would make it easier for trans Kiwis to not only get passports that reflect their gender presentation but also avoid being discriminated against when they travel internationally.

The New Zealand Passport Office is considering following in Argentina's groundbreaking footsteps and allowing transpeople to change the gender code on their passports without medical declarations or court papers

Currently transpeople can get an X code on your Kiwi passports.   You can only change the F or M gender code after a Family Court declaration that allows you to change the birth certificate.

That declaration happens only if the person has medical evidence showing that they are in transition from one gender to another, such as undergoing hormone replacement therapy, or has had gender reassignment surgery.

It decided to look into the policy change after being approached by the New Zealand trans community about the feasibility of doing so.

The New Zealand Human Rights Commission supports the change, with some members of the trans community wanting gender codes to be eliminated from the passports period.

As of this moment any changes to the passport policy wouldn't take effect until September .   
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Chile Activists Beginning Push For Trans Identity Law

With Argentina's successful passage and enactment of a groundbreaking Gender Identity Law, their next door neighbors on the western side of the Andes Mountains want to take a page out of the Argentinian activist playbook and enact a similar law in their country.

According to Blabbeando, the Chilean Transexual Organiztion for the Dignity of Diversity (OTD) has already produced a few ads confronting discrimination against transgender individuals but started launching on June 10 a campaign specifically advocating for a nationwide gender identity law.

They are beginning to produce ads and videos like this one with many more to come.



Since trans human rights issues have been on a roll lately in Latin America, South America and the Western Hemisphere, we can only hope that the Chilean 'Fir The Dignity Of Identity' themed campaign results in the same successful conclusion that happened on the eastern side of the Andes.

Social Security Administration To Stop Using Gender Markers

Here's another 'crumb' from the Obama Administration for you GLBT haters of the POTUS to take note of. 

Effective September 24, 2011 the Social Security Administration will no longer use gender as part of the Social Security Number Verification Service process.

Your Social Security Number in the US is permanent and cannot be changed but your name with the SSN number can.


Transpeople were running into the problem that when the gender code didn't match the name on file when those SSN verification checks were run, it was generating no-match letters to employers that had the unintended effect of outing transpeople.

If a transperson was applying to or working for a transphobic company and their trans status became known it could have deleterious effects on their employment. 

But the bottom line is that another odious policy that was causing problems for transpeople was ended by the Obama Administration by changing rules and policies.  That is not a 'crumb' as some of you haters characterize it, it is an administrative change that has a positive effect on people's lives. 

Any wonder why we transpeeps consider him the best president ever on trans issues?