Although I could, I don’t have any plans to rush out to the courthouse for a name change yet.
Emotionally, it would be nice to get it changed before I go to Buenos Aries in January for facial feminization surgery, but since I’d need to get my passport changed before I can buy the airline ticket, that does mean doing things in early fall, especially since I’m traveling to SoCal for Thanksgiving. I’d thought about changing my passport then waiting to change my driver’s license in February when I get back from BA — but I’m not sure what weirdness might result from having different photo IDs for a couple months. So rationally it probably makes more sense to do all the name change stuff next year after FFS.
If I changed my name earlier, I’d get a new passport with new name and old face to travel with.
Returning via LAX (which is the most likely from Buenos Aries) isn’t likely to be a problem, since they use a kiosk system anyway and you don’t deal with an actual passport agent. It may well do facial recognition but given my current passport photo is so terrible I can’t imagine it’s actually that useful. FWIW, the photo on my Global Entry card is even worse, because it was taken with one of those cam-on-a-stalk things you plug into your computer.
After I return, I’d request a replacement, which means sending in a new photo. (Yes, I’d have to pay for the second replacement passport.)
Driver’s license is more complicated because in California IIRC, they just reprint it with it the last photo on file. Which is a reason for not changing it until I get back — plus having photo ID with a male name on it, for the 2-3 months I’d still be presenting as male after changing the passport.
Just not sure if a passport/driver’s license name mismatch would cause any issues though.
Getting the physician’s letter to support getting the name change did mess with my head a little, it was more of those “OMG, I’m really doing” this kind of moments. Probably amplified by happening so closely with coming out at work, and coming out to Mom, which for me were to the two of the biggest milestones. Plus just not being entirely centered due to Orlando and being overloaded with work at the moment.
Obviously there’s still lots of smaller steps ahead, but in a lot of ways it feels like it’s going to be downhill from here. Now it’s less about the research, major decision making, and huge disclosures, and more about just the doing it.
Thankfully I do have a little bit of a breather, since my electrologist is on vacation this week and my speech therapist will be on vacation the next three weeks. So not having to run around feels luxurious. Please I can finally get a long weekend to get out of town and decompress.