Success! (Blast From the Past Entry)

Here it is, my third and final entry in my "Name Change Saga." Quote unquote. I had the same problem in Michigan last summer, in getting a female designation on my driver license. You can read about it here. I've added my NY license near the bottom of this post. It hasn't expired yet, but the worker cut a notch off of it when I got my Michigan license. I guess you can't have a license in more than one state at a time. Too bad, I really like the way the photo came out.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

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Current mood: drained

I had a bad experience at the DMV a week ago. As you may know from my previous blogs, I have had my name legally changed to Amy. With the court order in hand, I went to the DMV in Medford. Bad move. The clerk said he had to talk to his supervisor, and to have a seat. We waited for 10 to 15 minutes. He came back with the supervisor and they said that in order to change the designation for "sex" on the license, they needed a letter from the surgeon who performed the sex reassignment surgery. That would be difficult as I haven't had that done! She was very rude when I told her that others have had the sex changed to F without a problem. She said that they were wrong for doing so, or something like that. I was seeing red. After all the time taken off of work so I can get this done, I get this nasty bitch trying to fuck it up. Like I'm really going to walk around with a license saying "Amy" and a female photo... with "Sex: M."

Then I went to get my Social Security card changed. The man there told me the same thing. I was very upset by this point. I called my therapist and she said that's the status quo with Social Security, but she was surprised about the DMV. She told me to to go to another DMV.

Two days ago, I went to the Amityville DMV. The man had some confusion with the court papers ("No divorce or marriage papers?"), and kept messing up the new name (the first time he kept the old name, and the second time he spelled my last name wrong), but they gave me the F with no problem! Yay! So I have this little paper interim license that I keep looking at constantly. I love it. My real license comes in two to three weeks. I can't wait to see the picture!

Then I went to my bank, and changed my name on my account. After that I went to my insurance company to change my name there as well. While I was there, I changed my address to the new Michigan address. It feels so good to just be myself. Something that should be taken for granted is instead something I had to work for. But it was well worth it. After five long years of heading down this path, I am finally free to be me.

Currently reading:
Spectre of the Black Rose (Ravenloft Terror of Lord Soth, Vol. 2)
By James Lowder
Release date: 01 March, 1999