• captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Not really. I changed my name in Ohio about 5 years ago when I transitioned and it hasn’t really come up since. I would’ve made the same mistake since this is the name I’ve used exclusively for years except when clarifying about my past. I occasionally have to bring out my name change paperwork solely because I never got around to editing my birth certificate but these days my passport is updated so I just have to use that to prove citizenship.

    The other big reason I wouldn’t think to disclose is because this state has mandatory publication of non-marital name changes. In order to change my name I had to pay a newspaper to announce it so it’s in the public record beyond court records. I would have assumed that counted as sufficient declaration to the state that my name has been changed

    • phillaholic@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      In order to change my name I had to pay a newspaper to announce it so it’s in the public record beyond court records.

      What was your reaction to being told that?

      • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I was pissed. I was a broke college student and it was like $60 that I had to scrounge together. And it wasn’t the safest thing to be openly a trans woman in Ohio at the time. I didn’t necessarily want to hide from the future, but I also didn’t want people from my past to see as I was making a lot of clean breaks at the time.