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Navigating Name and Gender Changes

Less than 15 hours before my court hearing to change my name and gender marker, I stumbled upon an article on Them —the Social Security Office had quietly stopped changing gender markers for trans people. The news hit like a punch to the gut. Funny we have to hear about these things through LGBTQ news sites, can't find anything updated on SS page.  This process has been stressful from the start. I began my name change in October, just before Trump’s election. My doctor, who specializes in LGBTQ care and has prescribed my testosterone for years, guided me through it. She wrote a letter—one she’s written countless times—and advised me to get a court date as soon as possible. I filled out my local courthouse’s paperwork, paid the $400 fee, and scheduled a judge’s appointment. The earliest available? February 7th. Then came more hoops—my birth certificate, a form signed by my wife (yes, in my state, spouses must consent to their partner’s gender change), and finally, a Teams meeting l...
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Call Me by my Name

I worked as a TV Production teacher from 2018 to 2023, probably the wildest years to be a teacher. In 2018 there were ongoing protest nationwide over teacher pay and teacher shortages.  If there was any ounce of hope back in 2018, there is none now. More than 75% of teaching positions are vacant or held by teachers who don’t meet the standard requirements where I live.  But with all these concerns the current administration seems hellbent on rooting out “radical indoctrination” from our schools. The Trump administration is wielding language in an interesting way, seemingly saying he wants the government to “ “file actions against teachers and school officials who sexually exploit minors or practice medicine without a license through ‘social transition’ practices.”  Essentially saying that if I call a student by their chosen name or refer to them by different pronouns that I am practicing medicine.  Which brings us to today’s story about a kid named Lennon.  Lenn...
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Advice and an Introduction to Living Through These Strange Times

Here’s the reality of the situation. I am a 39 year old transman one week away from a hearing in a conservative state to change my name and gender. I’m a former public school teacher and still work for the government, and this week the president of the United States called me and other trans folks radical enemies of the state. How am I handling it? Moment by moment. Here’s what I’ve been doing.  I got rid of META. I’m not going to tell you what to do or what not to do, BUT I personally can no longer support a Mark Zuckerberg enterprise. Regardless of a divestment, leaving social media has improved my emotional health - even just in two weeks. I was surprised how easy it was to let Facebook and Instagram go. I stopped shopping at Walmart and Target. Both companies dropped many of their DEI goals. I was particularly upset about Target and went so far as to write a complaint email. Aside from divestment, I’ve really enjoyed shopping at smaller local grocers that tend to be less crowd...
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