The continuing story of a TG name change!

[icymist]

Nineteen years ago I legally changed my name from an obviously male one to an obviously female one through a court order. The next few weeks I found a few hassles, the DMV clerk telling her assistant to give the new license to 'it', the judge wondering aloud about how my change of sex would determine what jail I should be put in (I didn't commit any crime, just changed my name), and the IRS refusing to acknowledge my name change for four years after the legal document was copied and mailed to them with income tax returns. That was 1988.

Two weeks ago I got a new job. I had quit my old job in December of last year and had been living with friends, in the process of relocating. Today, I am taken aside at the office of my new employment with the shocking news that my SS number does not match my legal name nor my former name. It seems that the new employer first asked for SS number verification using my 'birth' name, not my legal name. Well, the woman taking this call at the SS office told my new employer that for the SS number to be verified, I would have to be employed and that I also could not be employed until the number was verified. I had my new employer call back and the same woman at the SS office told her these are the rules, no exception. I had my employer call again until someone else answered at the SS office and the verification went through with no problem.

I believe this is what you would call discrimination. When will this shit stop?

[swimmernsecretsea]

1. I'm sorry to hear of your frustrations

Not everyone feels this way, and I hope someday it won't be so difficult for you.

[icymist]

2. When you change your sex and then get a job it gives all types of people

access to your most personal and private information. IMO the people working in the government should not bring their bigotry into trying to challenge my right to earn a livelihood, or even being a citizen of the US!

[UncleSepp]

3. Where do you live? I know of a lawyer in Seattle...

He's extremely and personally knowledgeable in areas of law that pertain to transgender issues. There are people fighting the good fight. There are also better workplaces who will "get it". If, by some kind of ultimate coincidence, you're a network engineer, PLEASE PM me.

[tonekat]

4. I'd contact management at that SS office

And try to get that rogue employee fired for incompetence.

Especially as you live in a state that just enacted a bill to include gender identity in it's non-discrimination law.

You might want to explore this site, and it's link to other sites:

www.nctequality.org

and: www.transgenderlaw.org

This stupid National ID card they're trying to have will make it so our old identity follows us around permanently too.

[icymist]

5. Everyone, it's been two days since this happened.

In the moments the original asking to have my SS# verified, it never occurred to me to look at the clerk at the facility of my new employer. Because the only person giving me information about what the SS office was telling them (my employer) I formed the assumption that the clerk at the SS office was the only guilty party. Yesterday, I literally stood behind this clerk at my new employer and heard her saying that she told originally told the SS office that I had not yet been hired when trying to get the SS# verified. This clerk from my new employer also asked me, when I told her my legal name was the female, assumed that my legal name was the male (birth) name. I took a copy of the court ordered name change to her superior and everything's been cleared up. From now on, my employer will only use my legal name and understands that my birth name is to be used only for background checks.

So it appears that this whole incident has been incompetence, not discrimination. We can all learn from this experience as a prelude to what transsexuals will experience when the new ID changes go into effect. Thank you DU for allowing me to rant that first day; I was quite angry.

[tonekat]

6. I'm glad it all worked out for you! n/t