It's a boy!

My new birth certificate arrived on Friday.  Oh happy day!  This means I'm official.
Now I just have to address all the pesky other, smaller, things that are on my list of things to do.

I can't say enough how fantastic everyone has been through this process. Tons of understanding medical professionals, government employees; a fleet of understanding family members and one amazingly unbelievably understanding soon-to-be spouse have all made this transition possible.

So, thank you to all of you who have been there for me, from the MN Trans Health Coalitions Transmasculine group to my partner and everyone in between and beyond. I am beyond lucky and beyond honored to count all of you among my acquaintances, friends and family.

A special great big humongous rib-shattering thank you hug and a kiss to Brandi, too, for making possible what I never thought would or could happen.

Social Security card achievement unlocked

On Friday September 20th, I received my not-so-shiny new Social Security card in the mail.
It actually took about 14 days for it to arrive, just as the gentleman at the SSA office said it would.

Let me warn folks who want to change their Soc. Sec. information to take at least a half day, if not a whole day to do it.

There is only one Social Security Administration Office in the metro who handles new SS cards.  It is on Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis and it is HOPPING!  I got there at 2 and didn't leave until close to 4:30 thanks to the masses of people there to get their cards.  They have a separate card office around the back of the building (with plenty of parking back there) which is different from the part of the building where you access your benefits, so that's good. But there were probably 100 people in there when I got there.

When my number was called, I presented my old Social Security Card, my name change order, my drivers license and yellow renewal slip, and that was it.  He changed my name and gender in the computer; showed me the printout so that I could ensure it was correct; and gave me a receipt to take home with me proving that it had been changed and that my card would arrive in 14 days, which it did.  No fees or anything.  Easy as pie. 

Still waiting on the DL to arrive - should be here soon.  And the kind folks at the Connecticut State Vital Statistics Office are processing my request as we speak. So that should arrive soon.

I suppose I should start to change my name in all the other places - bank, medical clinics, etc...That sounds tedious and hard, but I'm all over it!

Birth certificate

Package to State of Connecticut re: birth certificate

The check is in the mail!

Well, the letter and documentation and money order addressed to "Treasurer, State of Connecticut" are in the mail; headed to my new friend Maria Colon at the CT Department of Vital Statistics.

She emailed me the necessary forms to change my name and gender on my birth certificate and after getting the surgeon and my therapist to both get affidavits signed and notarized and sent back to me, all the required documentation is in the envelope and it is on its way!

So, for those Yankees out there who need to change their birth certificate, here's the skinny:

Call Maria Colon at the state vital statistics office and get her to send you an email with the forms in it (or contact me and I'll get them to you). Those forms include the birth certificate order form and two affidavits, one from your surgeon and one from your licensed therapist (psychologist, psychiatrist or LCSW). Get those filled out and notarized (most banks have a free notary service available to you) and then mail them, the filled out birth certificate order form and a money order made payable to "Treasurer, State of Connecticut" for $30.00, along with a current photo ID. I had to include two photo IDs because I don't have my new MN driver's license with my new name on it yet, but I do have a government issued work ID.

Connecticut amends your birth record. It will not take three months to process (the recorded message at the state vital statistics office says requests are being processed in three months, but Maria Colon - my new friend in CT - stated that it would not take three months to process). They will seal the old record and hide it away forever.  A new birth certificate will be issued with the new information on it. It will not be marked "amended," which is a nice thing that the state is doing for trans* people.

I'll post again when I get the new birth certificate with an update of how long it took for them to get it back to me etc...