#transma

[exitstageleft-pursuedbyabear]

Donate to Top Surgery Anesthetist Costs For King, organized by Key Stone

Hi there! My name is Key and I'm fundraising on behalf of a dear friend of mine's t… Key Stone needs your support for Top Surgery Anesthet

Hi there!

One of my dearest friends has a top surgery date for Febuarary. He's been saving for an awful long time, unfortunately life circumstances with housing and other medical bills has led him under what he needs to cover the cost of the anaesthetist.

He's stealth at work so I am running this gofundme for him. Anything you could donate would be appreciated! And if not, please share it around wherever you can!

[yess-magnoliant]

Would you still even want me if I transitioned..

[masstpc]

Ryan reflects on the MTPC staff's name changes

I’m Ryan, a policy intern here at MTPC. First off I’m very glad I was able to go on the office outing before I will have to go through the name change process myself. I also had the added perk of taking notes throughout the trip. Luckily for me, I was born and raised in Middlesex county and I’m not married nor a parent. The court will only need the basic documents of:

certified birth certificate

name change form

payment (mine will be a check)

View Post

[masstpc]

Mel’s first attempt to get a name change is a bust (user error)

Hi! I’m Mel, one of the MTPC staffers who went to the Middlesex probate court yesterday afternoon to change our legal names. (We live tweeted with the tag #MassIDdocs, so check that out if you missed it.)

To prepare for this epic staff outing, I had to gather some documents. For most people, this would just be a certified birth certificate, a name change form, and payment (money order or check at the courthouse we went to). But my case was a bit more complicates.

I’m married, so I also needed my marriage certificate AND a notarized letter from my spouse saying he is aware that I’m changing my name.

To make matters more difficult, my spouse and I had both hyphenated our last names when we got married (no legal name change required). A few years later, we went to court in Tennessee (and had to testify in front of a judge!) to change it to one name without the hyphen (and it’s still only eight letters!). So, I also had to bring my previous name change document with me yesterday.

To recap, instead of just the certified birth certificate, name change form, and payment, I had to bring all these things:

certified birth certificate

official name change form

payment

official marriage certificate

notarized letter from spouse

previous name change document

Guess which one I forgot? The only one that is ALWAYS required! Somehow, in all my triple checking that I had everything, I ended up putting my birth certificate back in the safe instead of clipping it to all the other documents. Oops. 

So, now I have to try again. But I’m going to take the opportunity to try out a different courthouse this time, to see if the procedure is any different. Devyn’s experience at the Middlesex courthouse felt very different from Jesse’s at the Suffolk one, which they'll blog about soon. Mine will give us three courthouses to compare. And Ryan plans to do a name change in October, which will give us a fourth. If you have stories of your own experience, email us at [email protected] to let us know which courthouse you went to and what happened.

And wish me luck on my second name-change attempt!

[masstpc]

By far the most frequent questions we get from the trans community are how to do name changes and gender-marker changes. Well, this week you’re going to hear ALL about it. Several MTPC staffers are heading to probate court Wednesday afternoon to change our legal names!

  We’ll be live tweeting the experience, so be sure to follow us on Twitter and watch the hashtag #MassIDdocs to see how it goes. We’re not sure if phones are allowed in the courtroom, but we’ll do our best to answer any tweets you send us at @masstpc.

  Be sure to check our website next week for the updated name change kit.

[masstpc]

Nancy Nangeroni, Chair of the Steering Committee, has announced the appointment of Mason Dunn as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, effective August 8, 2013.

Dunn brings ten years of experience in LGBT coalition, organization and community, much of it as a transgender community organizer and leader. A recent graduate from the University of New Hampshire School of Law, he comes to MTPC from the NH Civil Liberties Union, where he worked on a fellowship and filled a variety of roles, including communications, policy and research. He most recently served on the Steering Committee for Transgender New Hampshire, and as an adjunct faculty member at UNH Manchester in the Communication Arts department, teaching a course on LGBTQ Images and Perspectives. Prior to law school Dunn worked on the Board of Directors of TransMentors International, a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring in the transgender community.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mason, who for many years has committed himself to advocacy on behalf of transgender issues and community,” Nangeroni said. “He brings excellent skills along with a demonstrated dedication to the principles embodied in MTPC’s mission and values. He is the right person to lead our organization as we grow further in fulfillment of the increasingly recognized needs of our underserved community.”

MTPC Vice-Chair Maxwell Ng added, “I’m excited to work with Mason because of the energy and vision he brings to our organization. It’s an exciting time to be involved with MTPC.”

“I am honored to have been selected as the next leader for MTPC, and I’m looking forward to working in this amazing community,” Dunn said. “The Massachusetts trans* movement has seen astonishing progress over the past few years thanks to MTPC, yet we have a long way to go in achieving full equality for our community.”

***

Founded in 2001, MTPC is dedicated to ending discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. The organization works to educate the public about transgender identities, advocates in state and local governments and encourages empowerment of community members through collective action.

[masstpc]

The Equal Access campaign is heating up!

Summer is a great time for activism. If you care about trans* equality, here are some ways you can take action to support the transgender Equal Access Bill in Massachusetts.

Join the public education campaign. Tell people what public accommodations are and why we need the non-discrimination law to protect access to public accommodations for transgender people. Here’s a graphic you can share on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, email, etc.

Share your experiences. We have two great opportunities coming up where you can learn how to use your stories to engage in legislative change.

Join MTPC and GLAD in Lowell on Monday, June 24, 2013, 6:30-8:30 pm to SHARE YOUR STORY FOR TRANS EQUALITY! Join us for a night of open conversation where we discuss the Equal Access Bill, share our own stories of discrimination in public space, and learn about what we can do as community members when facing discrimination. The night will end with a conversation around self-care for ourselves, and our larger community. A space will be provided for those who want to write their story down to be used in advocating for the bill. Light refreshments will be provided. Center for Hope & Healing, 144 Merrimack Street Suite 304, Lowell, MA

Join MTPC, GLAD, and PFLAG in Boston on Thursday, June 27, 2013, 6-8 pm for PARENTS OF TRANS KIDS: Sharing Your Story For Trans Equality Join us for a night of open conversation where we discuss the Equal Access Bill, share our own stories as parents of transgender children, and learn how to use our stories to engage in legislative change. A space will be provided for those who want to practice sharing their story and/or write their story down to be used in advocating for the Equal Access Bill. Light refreshments will be provided. 30 Winter Street Suite 800, Boston, MA

[masstpc]

MTPC and BAGLY will host the annual Trans* Youth Summit at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center on July 13, 2013.

The Trans* Youth Summit is for people aged 13-22 who identify with or could fall under the label “transgender” and live in Massachusetts or Greater New England. Youth who are in some way connected to the trans* youth community, such as partners/friends, are also welcome to participate in the summit.

At the summit, trans* youth will have the opportunity to meet and connect with other transgender and gender-variant youth, share ideas, get support, learn about the larger trans* community, and participate in workshops and fun activities.

The summit is free. Transportation stipends are also available for Massachusetts youth. After you register, please email [email protected] if you are interested in the stipend.

In addition to the Trans Youth Summit, there will be a separate track with a full day of programming for parents/guardians/supportive adults of transgender and/or gender questioning youth. Activities for the Parents of Trans* Youth Summit include addressing legal issues and advocating for your trans* youth, health care, and time for networking and guided support groups. This event is closed to the public and only registered participants will be admitted.

The summit will be held at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center (NERD) in Kendall Square at One Memorial Drive in Cambridge. The site is in walking distance from the Kendall/MIT stop on the Red Line. Parking in the on-site garage is $10 for the day.

For more information, go to masstpc.org/community-events/tys.