Name and Gender Marker Change Consultation Request Form

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Please fill out this form to the best of your ability. This form will connect you with a staff member at The Diversity Center to schedule a name/gender marker change consultation as soon as possible. You may also fill this form out on behalf of your minor child to get the court order process started for them. The information shared in this form is confidential. It will only be used by The Diversity Center staff to connect you with the correct paperwork.

What to Expect:

Consultations are usually on weekdays, Monday-Friday, between 10am and 5pm PST, at The Diversity Center. Consultations are between 30 and 45 minutes with a TDC staff member trained on gender and name change processes in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. If you have a complex situation or are living outside of those two counties, our staff will do our best to try to find resources to support you, but you are encouraged to email 60plus@diversitycenter.org if your concern falls outside of this form. A staff member will meet with you, cover what you need to know about the legal process to change either your or your child's name and/or gender marker (which starts with a court order), and send you home with a packet including all the information you need.

What to Bring:

Bring a pen if you have one, and a notebook if possible to take notes. However, slides will be sent to you afterwards, containing links and information covered in the consultation. These consultations can be done over zoom as well. However, in person is preferable, as staff prints out the entire packet of paperwork for you and can print extras as needed. This paperwork can be done online as well and printed out. If you are doing this consultation for your minor child, they do not need to come with you. However, it is best to make sure you have all the updated information for their new name and or gender marker before the appointment, such as their new middle name. The court order process, once started, generally takes about 2 months to complete. It takes additional time to complete changes to additional documents, like birth certificates, state IDs, and passports.

Consultations Cover the Following:

1. An overview of the process to change either your, or your child's legal name and/or gender marker

2. A breakdown on both the expected cost of a court order, and how to apply for a fee waiver

3. Detailed explanation of the court order, and how to fill it out. Though you may not finish the paperwork in 45 minutes, you'll understand how it's supposed to be filled out, and you'll be provided contact information with a staff member to stay in contact for additional support as needed. You may also ask this staff member to assist you in filing at the clerk's office in Santa Cruz county.

4. Updated information about passports, social security, and drivers license. These options cannot be done until you've completed a court order.

5. A list of places to consider changing you/your child's name (if you choose to legally do so) after the court order is complete.

Legal & Safety Note:

The Diversity Center's staff are not lawyers, and these consultations cannot and should not be considered legal advice. For legal advice, please consider reaching out to California Rural Legal Assistance or Lawyer Referral Service.
If you are changing your name due to domestic violence, human trafficking, stalking, or sexual assault, please contact Walnut Avenue Family & Women's Center or Monarch Services to learn more about Safe at Home as an address confidentiality program, and to develop a safety plan with a trained advocate.
The Diversity Center's name and gender marker consultations are solely for identity-related legal changes, for folks of all ages. We do our best to stay up to date about changing policies at the federal level and are monitoring that situation closely. Updated legal information can also be found at Lambda Legal and Trans Law Center.
Legal youth name and gender marker changes require legal parent or guardians to file the court order on their behalf. Adult (over the age of 18) legal name and gender marker changes do not require legal parent or guardian permission. No physician letter is needed to justify a court order to change gender markers or names in California.
State documents in California, like birth certificates and state IDs, can still have X markers on them. Passports and social security documents still only have M and F markers on them. At this point, these cannot be legally changed. Passports with an X marker remain valid in the U.S. until they expire. You are encouraged to make a plan for traveling domestically and internationally, regardless of what is on your passport. Safe travel tips and planning information can be found here and here.
For more information about privacy rights for individuals seeking name/gender marker changes for gender-related reasons in California, please check out SB49, which recently passed and was signed into law.

Accessibility/accesibilidad:

Name and gender marker services at The Diversity Center are currently only available in English. However, LGBTQ+ inclusive support is available in Spanish. If you need support in Spanish to change your name and/or gender marker, please contact California Rural Legal Assistance at lgbtq@crla.org or (800) 567-5339.

Los servicios relacionados con el nombre y el indicador de género en The Diversity Center solo están disponibles actualmente en inglés. Sin embargo, hay apoyo inclusivo para personas LGBTQ+ disponible en español. Si necesita ayuda en español para cambiar su nombre y/o indicador de género, póngase en contacto con California Rural Legal Assistance en lgbtq@crla.org o en el (800) 567-5339.

Resources for Parents/Guardians:

To close, if you are doing this on behalf of your minor child to help them legally and fully express their authentic identity - thank you. We appreciate you.

To learn more about family behaviors that support LGBTQ+ youth's health, check out the Family Acceptance Project and this list here.
Trans Families Support Group is another resource for parents of gender expansive youth. Contact transfamiliesofsantacruz@gmail.com or 831-205-0078 for meeting details & location.
You can also get additional legal support at the Self Help Desk at the Santa Cruz County Superior Courthouse in Watsonville.

What is your name?

What are your pronouns?

Are you filling this form out for yourself or for a child?

Myself

My minor child

Clear selection

What is your age? If you are filling this out for your minor child, what is their age?

If you are filling this out for your minor child, what is their name?

What is your email address?

What is your phone number?

Is the number listed above a safe number to text about gender and/or name change marker information?

Yes

Clear selection

If you are filling out a court order for your minor child, will both parents/guardians be able to sign the court order?

Yes, both parents or guardians will sign

Yes, I only have 1 parent/guardian but they will sign

No, only one of my parents or guardians will be signing

I am a youth in foster care

Other:

Clear selection

Where do you live?

Santa Cruz County

Monterey County

Other:

Clear selection

TDC strives to make its consultations accessible. Is there anything we can offer you to make this experience more accessible?

I am changing my/my minor child's...

Name only

Gender marker only

Name and gender marker

Clear selection

Which category fits best about your or your minor child's passport?

ANY of the following are true: You've never had a passport, you are under 16, you were under 16 when your last passport was issued, your last passport was issued more than 15 years ago, your last passport was lost or stolen, your name has changed but you are unable to document said change

ALL the following are true: your last passport is undamaged and can be returned, it was issued when you were 16 or older, it was issued in the last 15 years, it was issued with your current name or you can document a name change

EITHER of these criteria fit: your last passport was issued less than a year ago or to extend the validity of a limited validity passport or upgrade it to full validity passport

I do not have a passport and will not be getting one soon

Unsure

Other:

Clear selection

Were you born outside of the U.S.? (NOTE: Your immigration status will remain confidential. If you were born outside of the U.S., we will need to give you a different form depending on your status.)

No, I was born in the United States

Yes, I have a green card

Yes, I am a Naturalized Citizen

Yes, I am a Refugee

Yes, I have a work permit

Prefer not to say

Other:

Clear selection

Court orders, which are the first step for a name and/or gender change, cost between $435-$450. However, fee waivers are available if meet certain criteria. Please select which option is true for you. (NOTE: this information will be kept confidential. We are only asking this to ensure we have the right paperwork available for you.)

I am on public assistance (SNAP, SSI, CalWORKS, HHSI, Unemployment, WIC, CAPI etc.)

I am low income (per month) ($2,601 for 1 person, $3,525 for two, $4,441 for 3 or $5,358 for a family of 4)

I do not make enough money to cover household expense AND court fees

None of these apply/I can pay for it myself

Prefer not to say

Other:

Would you like TDC's support in filing your paperwork at the courthouse in Santa Cruz?

Yes

Clear selection

Where were you/your minor child born?

California

A country other than the U.S.

Other:

Clear selection

Is there anything else you think we should know to best support you?

Submit

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