This blog explains Plume’s letter-writing service for legal name and gender marker change. Legal name change and gender marker updates are linked to better mental health for transgender people. You deserve to be seen as yourself. Ensuring that your legal documents match your gender expression is a way of honoring yourself in a more formal or official way. Plume membership offers a simple path to making that change.
Your gender journey is as unique as you are. At some point, you may update your pronouns. You might also feel that a different name better reflects the person you really are. While not every person who transitions wants to change their name or gender marker (either socially or legally), many of us do. We find that aligning our inner self with our public self feels good—in fact, it can even create feelings of gender euphoria. (And reduce mental health issues!) Some of us test-drive our new chosen names and pronouns on social media or among trusted groups of friends and support people. Asking people to use your new name and pronouns is a big step in itself. It takes a lot of courage to share yourself with the world.
However, making this change official can feel overwhelming and intimidating. What are the steps to changing your legal name? What is the process for changing your legal gender marker? Cisgender people change their names all the time—as a matter of preference, when they marry, or in other situations. For trans people, the name change process often includes the additional barrier of requiring a letter from a medical professional. Cisgender people do not need to “prove” that their new name is valid. This type of gatekeeping can feel like an impossible barrier. Where do you get a letter? How much does it cost? Plume has a solution to help you get through the gatekeeping and make your name change official.
How do I change my legal name or gender marker?
Updating your legal name and gender marker as a transgender human varies from state-to-state. Some states have higher barriers than others, requiring multiple pieces of “proof” that your name change is appropriate for you. For example, if you’re changing your legal gender marker, you may have to disclose whether you have undergone surgical, hormonal, or other treatment “appropriate” for the purpose of affirming your gender identity.
Other times, a state or county will require a public, published notice of your name change in your local newspaper. Because name changes are a legal process, you will likely need to fill out paperwork to “petition” to change your name. You won’t need a lawyer for this process, but it helps to be prepared and understand what materials are needed before you get started. We recommend checking these resources for navigating the process for gender marker and name change in your state:
- Trans Equality (national database)
- Transgender Law Center (national database)
- Solace, an app that focuses on gender affirmation and includes state-by-state guides for the name/gender marker change process
Once you know what materials you need to update your name or gender marker change in your county or state, you can get the ball rolling.
Why should transgender people change their legal name or gender marker?
You are valid, regardless of the name you choose for yourself. Names are a deeply personal choice, and each person arrives at that choice for themselves. To some folks, their birth name is a “deadname,” which represents their past self and has negative associations. To others, the birth name is simply their name—they don’t feel the need to distance themselves from the person they were earlier in their gender journey. The point isn’t the name change itself, but how your name makes you feel about yourself.
Not all transgender and nonbinary people want to change their names. Many transgender and nonbinary folks use their birth name legally and their chosen name socially. Others make no changes at all. (Shout-out to our beloved she/her femmes with names like Jeremy and Bill!) Still other people take their time with name and gender marker changes.
We know that your name is a reflection of your identity and an important part of your gender expression. The impact of changing your legal name and gender marker were examined in a 2020 study on gender marker and name change in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. These states updated their laws to allow residents to easily change the gender marker and name on government-identification (ID) documents. Legal gender affirmation—that is, the ability to update your gender marker and name to represent your identity—was shown to be “protective.” That means changing your name and gender marker when you want to is good for your mental health. The study found that “legal gender affirmation was significantly associated with lower reports of depression, anxiety, somatization, global psychiatric distress, and upsetting responses to gender-based mistreatment.”
Being called by your correct, chosen name and pronouns feels good. Even in institutional settings—like the courtroom, classroom, clinic, and other depersonalized spaces—you can feel seen and respected. Everyone deserves that.
For transgender people, especially lower-income transgender women of color, name change can actually open doors to better care. A study in 2017 found that after changing their names, transgender women of color were less likely to postpone the medical care they needed due to their gender identity. Women who changed their names experienced more respect from others and from themselves, too: many of the women in the pre-name change group reported using non-prescribed hormones injected by friends and experiencing verbal harassment by family and friends. Women who had changed their names reported this type of disrespect less frequently. This study found that legal name change is actually an important structural intervention for low-income transgender women of color. Changing your name, according to this research, can provide increased socioeconomic stability and improved access to primary and transition-related health care.
Get a letter of support from Plume for your name or gender marker change
Are you ready to get started? A letter from one of the medical providers at Plume can help you move forward with your name or gender marker change. Whether you want to change the name or gender marker on your identification documents, driver’s license, social security card, passport, or birth certificate, your treating medical provider can support you by writing a letter or signing the form your state requires.
Depending on where you live, your options for gender marker on your driver’s license or state ID card may be limited by state law: so far, the “nonbinary” gender marker is only available in some places. You can see the most current list here. (Some of these states allow people to change their gender marker to nonbinary on state identification cards and driver’s licenses without a provider letter, FYI.) The nonbinary marker can be used on your passport, but isn’t nationally available on every ID form in every state yet. However, we believe that it’s on its way!
Some states or counties may ask for a letter from a mental health therapist or other type of mental health provider. Unfortunately, Plume does not offer that type of letter. If you need a letter specifically from a licensed therapist, you can check out the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) provider directory to find a therapist near you. You can get a mental health letter of support for free! The Gender-Affirming Letter Access Project (GALAP) is a list of helpful therapists.
So you know, you must be a member with Plume to receive name and gender marker letters. We do not provide one-time letters for name or gender marker change. You can sign up here to become a member and access Plume’s letter-writing service, as well as the other benefits of membership like gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT, sometimes called HRT).
In order to complete a letter of support for your name and/or gender marker change, your care team will need to know the following information:
- The full name (first, middle, and last) you would like to adopt as your legal name
- Which gender marker you would like to use as your legal gender marker
- The gender marker currently on your legal documents, such as your passport or driver’s license
- Your due date! When do you need this letter completed by?
When you have given your care team this information, we can begin writing your letter of support. It usually takes about a week for us to do this, but if you have an unusual situation or need your letter sooner, just let us know. We will do everything we can to get your letter to you on time!
We know that changing your legal name and gender marker has actual health benefits. It feels good to be seen and acknowledged for who you really are! While Plume can’t complete the legal process for changing your name and gender marker, we can write you the letter that will help you take this exciting and important step in your gender journey. To get started, complete your membership sign-up and reach out to your care team. In a week, you’ll be on your way to aligning your social self with your legal self—and becoming the whole, integrated person you want to be.
Plume provides gender-affirming care to trans and nonbinary people in 37 states across the United States (and growing). Learn more about our services here.
