Name Change and Rite of Passage

[LadySierraSays]

still sex M , is always the slap in the face , all that stuff sucks , nothing simple clear cut and or easy , congrats on the change to F on passport , it always seems like you may win some battles but not the war !!! good 4 u , keep after it !!! good video story..

[unmeasuredinstances]

@LadySierraSays I will admit I am glad the story took place far enough in my past that the humor, far more than the frustration, can come to the fore. Slowly things are changing....I know it never feels fast enough, but in my lifetime alone what a difference there has been.

[LadySierraSays]

@unmeasuredinstances , seems like too much of a double standard , name changes like underware alot of women do , no-problemo , but for a MTF person , seem like sorry sir no-dice !!! Yes thing's slow to change , alot of hoops to jump thru , not all states are the same , etc. , thus more hoops , etc. ? atleast thats been my personal expereince of the issue !!!

[1Vella]

great video, my god its horrid that u had to go through all of that, i havent even started and i cant imagine doing all of that

[unmeasuredinstances]

Yes, not all of it was very pleasant, but somehow I have managed to keep laughing. A sense of humor goes a long way to making these moments tolerable.

[DowJonesss]

Grocery store discrimination is the worst kind of discrimination lmao. What an ordeal! That's practically an adventure.

[unmeasuredinstances]

It was something.....and just so absurd that it was hard not to laugh along the way.

[ikgeloofhetniet]

You are great,whish I was so gracefull and forgiving,love from Aleksandra

[unmeasuredinstances]

Thank you!! (I know - 4 months late, but what can I say : )

[Lobstermagnet43]

To be honest I can understand the government being a difficult series of hoops to go through. But a grocery store? Prices be damned they'd lose my business after that much effort!

[unmeasuredinstances]

Yeah, I understand.....and it was hard to see any humor in it at the time, but....well, sometimes you have to laugh and smile and win the world with grace, one customer service manager at a time :)

[GMPNY]

GOOD LORD! You have got to be kidding me!! I had NO idea how difficult these things were to get done. The grocery card story was the BEST LOL This was a great vlog.

[unmeasuredinstances]

I think this is one of my favorites as well, so I am SO glad you enjoyed it.

[JLRMMH72]

I can not believe this story - I laughed out loud. Those people are so ignorant. Sigh. I hope you are enjoying those cheap eats! :) Oh Sara (do you spell it this way or Sarah?). Anyway, once again you conquer with charm and grace.

[unmeasuredinstances]

Its with an 'h'. As for conquering with humor and grace - in the face of such absurdity, there isn't much else to do but laugh.

[unmeasuredinstances]

Its true that it was shameful in many ways, but looking back on it now I can't help but simply shake my head and laugh....its actually quite funny in a strange way - or perhaps its just my twisted sense of humor!! :O

[jjtrebble]

I really appreciate your sincere, brutal honesty. But I have to ask myself why one would want to go through all of this? It seems to me that the daily embarrassment is harder than living in your born body. I may be wrong but I would think that you get ridiculed everyday or at least stared at. How can this be easier than just living as a man?

[unmeasuredinstances]

These are the hardest comments to reply to because they truly require a longer, deeper conversation. And in many ways I think you answered your own question - why WOULD someone do this if it was so hard? Essentially because they had no choice - that to do other was not an option. And being real and true to yourself has never been easy, for anyone - trans or not. Anyway, I truly don't get ridiculed or stared at, I am beloved by many in my rural town and have flourished at work...so life is good.

[jayec009]

Hi, love the video. I'm a transman. Pre-op. I will be having SRS early next year. My DL expires in a month. I am 14 mo. in to HRT therefor I look and sound like any other guy. My DL picture was taken when I was a teenager, nearly 10 years ago. I don't look anything like that picture anymore. I am also going to be having my name changed but I will need to renew my DL b4 I will have the name change. I am REALLY WORRIED about going to the DMV!!! Any advice from anyone?

[unmeasuredinstances]

Hi Jaye - I sent you an email touching on some of these things. Each state will be different, in terms of laws and regulations, so it is hard to be very specific. In the end it might just be one of those terribly awkward moments that we seem to suffer through on our way in this journey. Best of luck to you sweetheart - let me know how things go.

[ComputerNerd1993]

Can anybody help me? i need to change my name to a female name as i am transgendered and i can't think of it, what do i do?

My male name is Adam and i change it to Ad (My teachers idea) but i need a female name

[unmeasuredinstances]

Well, at your age it is very difficult to actually change your name without your parents' help. Have you spoken with them? As for what name to use, that is a very personal thing.

[ChloeElise2007]

Price Chopper... gotta love 'em! Lol!

[unmeasuredinstances]

Yeah, LOL...they were, well, incredible! I wish I could even say I made this up - or embellished it in some way - but it literally unfolded that way. Not sure if you have them out that way - sounds like you do - but beware any old Price Advantage cards that might lurk somewhere.

[yescandles]

You have to appreciate the pioneers of the world.Kudos to you.

[unmeasuredinstances]

Well, there were definitely pioneers before me....but thank you, I know what you mean. And heck, if you ever need a friendly DMV in NY I would definitely recommend this one. Nice people. LOL.

[GoldRainGirl]

Wow, you're a good storyteller (and it does make us appreciate the intricacies of modern bureaucracy, lol).

[unmeasuredinstances]

Thanks!! And yes, one does have to love our bureaucracies!

[Juststircrazy]

THIS CRACKS ME UP! So funny! LOLOL! You poor thing! xoxo GREAT VID! xoAudra

[unmeasuredinstances]

And Audra, I swear, I truly swear, it is all absolutely true, down to the last detail. What can I tell ya - its been quite a ride so far.

[intactivist1]

Great story, well told.

[unmeasuredinstances]

Thanks! Somehow your note slipped in unnoticed otherwise I would have responded sooner.

[unmeasuredinstances]

Yeah, I know. But I also prefer it to 'male name / female name'. Mmmm....not sure why. Maybe because 'boy / girl' helps place it back in time, that its not some alternate 'me' that exists currently.

Passports: Different countries will have different laws about Birth Certificates, so check with whatever agency there handles those things. In California, for example, it's the Dept of Vital Records. As for travel, you don't need a passport within the US.

[icecoldbath]

Thanks for the video reply. That name stuff sounds horrible. My birth cert. is in CA as well so I know I will have to wait for SRS, I don't even think I will do the name change on that doc till then. Thankfully IL will give me an F on my ID pre-srs.

[GenieP]

Sarah: I would tell the store to go screw itself; but in reality I would probably have done the same thing as you did. Yeah, post SRS is much easier. Definitely get a good supply of SRS surgeon letters. I recently just applied for and received the U.S. passport as "F". I was born in Ohio and they won't change the birth certificate so the passport is REALLY important for me.

[unmeasuredinstances]

I'm lucky with the birth certificate - CA is really good that way. Glad you got your passport - it IS important, and thank god still something we can get. As for the store...I'm planning to write and see if I can get them to change the policy. We'll see. In the meantime, a sense of humor goes a long way.

[GenieP]

Amen, sister!!

[pigpen7471]

wow, i can wait for all that fun..

[grishno]

That's where I am... girl name girl photo and I have a note from my doctor requesting the gender change on the license... if only i wasn't such a lazy bum i would get that taken care of.

[grishno]

P.S. Sounds like you had just as hard of a time changing everything over as i did... I can't wait for the hastle post srs. grrrrrr.

[unmeasuredinstances]

It actually does get better post-srs, after all the forms are sent in and files changed. But the grocery card situation really did throw me for a loop, so ya never know! In the end, keep a sense of humor....oh, and letters. Get lots and lots of copies of those srs letters!