This is My ‘because I said I’d post on a weekly basis’ Post

15 Aug This is My ‘because I said I’d post on a weekly basis’ Post

Hi Everyone,

Here’s my big weekly update in no particular order:

Electrolysis

I’m three weeks, four tomorrow, into electrolysis and there are already noticible changes.  The areas that have been cleared, small areas, remain cleared and nice and smooth, and when I look in the mirror I can’t help grinning.  My sessions are only half an hour long, and although there painful, I just suck it up and think about all of the girls online who refer to their four hour sessions as the norm – the horror, the absolute horror, I could never stand it.  A blessing for me are the tip that alot of those girls have shared about electrolysis pain management, and for that I am most grateful.  But thankfully my sessions are short and the time feels even shorter with every session, and as a bonus, I’m really liking the early results.

Meds, HRT, Medical Industrial Complex

I ran out of one of my essential hrt medicaions the other day, it’s one that normally cycles anyway, and I already had it on order, but I really get ansy when my hrt regiment gets out of wack, even if it’s due to poor planning on my part.  But this gets me back to the original reason I sought out my doctor, came out to her, and asked for help getting me and my hormones right with the World.  Right now, although I’m making great initial progress with electrolysis, therapy and some other trans related issues, I’m still not getting the medical help I need.  I still have not had my “E” and “T” levels checked and evaluated, and I still have to procure my medication  in unconventional ways – I’m trying to do not only whats good for me, but what’s right, but I’m still waiting for the mental health community to give the medical health community the OK to make sure I’m not being poisoned, and I’m not really all that happy about that.

The Paper Chase

I’ve started getting my document ducks in a row to begin the name change process, the gender change process on some items that do not require SRS first, and gathering information for other official documents down the road that do require a sex reassignment surgery to change.  But as is always the case with

Preparing documents for name change documents, I just did not have exactly all of the right documents with the rignt, and correct information, all in one place, to get started on anything.  It goes like this:

1. The first thing I needed to change was the DOB on my Driver’s License.  For some reason lost to history, the DOB on my Driver’s License does not match any other piece of identification that I have.  So, to change my DOB I needed to fill out a form – big shocker there, and mail it of the the DMV with a copy of my original birth certificate, and you guessed it, I ain’t got no birth certificate, because back during the Civil War all those records were lost.  All I have is a hand-written Certificate of Registration of Birth – just like the president.  So to get the DOB change started I had to go on line, prove who I was, and order an official, sealed and embossed copy of my birth certificate from my state health department, which I did and I’m now waiting for that to show up in the mail.  It cost me, with shipping, under $20 for the birth certificate, and the DOB change on my license is only the cost of my time and a postage stamp, so it’s all good!
2. Next, I’m going to get the “M” gender marker as it is called, to an “F”.  To do this I had to first have my afore mentioned Driver’s License all in order, I needed to download and complete the proper DMV form, and then I will need to have my therapist state that I identify as a female and that I was not likely to identify as anything else in the near future – almost the exact wording on the form, and then sign off on the form.  Then I physically take the form completed by the therapist, my fixed-up Driver’s License, a check or money order for a predetermined amount – on debit or credit please, put on my best girly outfit, and head on down to my local DMV center where they will miracoulusly change me from a “M” to an “F” and take a nice picture of me for mhy license.  All snarkiness aside, this is actually a really important change for any trans folk going in either direction; it’s a safety first issue, and then maybe a little bit of a comfort and relief issue – a tiny bit of acceptance from the community at large.  I’m viewing this as a really big step and a really big confidence booster – for me.
3. The next big thing – really big thing, is my legal name change to Friday Anne Keyes.  This is very exciting, and a little bit complicated and time consuming, but I’m starting it now so I can get a good head start on where my transition goes next, i.e. coming out, going full-time, getting surgery, and all of that heavy stuff.  I’ll probably address the name change process in great detail as each new step is presented to me.  The reason I list it here is because of how it fits into the sequence of events above.  Petitions for Name Change are different in every state, and in my state they are different by county, and in my state and county there is not gender designation except for the use of the his/her pronouns on one line to make the reading of the document logical – “Mary or Johnny is changing his/her name to insert new name here…”.  So I wanted to get the “F” on my license so that I have at least one official document before I petition for a name change that lets me use the “her” pronoun; does it matter?  It does to me.
4. Social Security Name Change – this is just a matter of filling out a form with my new name and then submitting it with the approved legal name change petition from the court.  To change the gender on my SS records I will need a letter and form signed off on by the surgeon who performs my future SRS, if any.
5. I’ve also been researching what is necessary for a birth certificate change in my state, and the process seems to be exactly the same as for Social Security documents.
6. And finally, as I may or may not have mentioned in previous posts, I’m a Notary Public and a member of one of my township’s committees.  So after all of the above are completed, I will need to submit a name change to my Department of State for my state to adjust my Notary name – and get new seals and such, and then inform my township – officially, of my new name.
7. At some other point I’ll cover other things that will need changing, like my Will, my Mom’s will, my Living Will, my auto registrations, my insurance – all of it of any kind, my work records and insurance, my bank accounts, credit cards, and subscription, to name a few.

And now for something more troubling.

New Voter Suppression Laws

As many as 25,000 transgender voters could lose their right to vote on election day due to onerous voter ID laws. Download NCTE’s guide for preparing for these new laws.  From National Center for Transgender Equality.

Please go here http://www.votingwhiletrans.org/index.html for information and resources to address Trans Voting Rights.  This is very important to your future.  Protect your right to vote.

Finally, I’m starting voice therapy this coming Monday; on more little step.

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Friday

08/15/2012

FAK