It’s official…

Changing your name by deed poll is surprisingly easy, you don’t even have to register it anywhere. It cost me £7.50 to download the appropriate legal document, which is basically a contract with yourself to (quote) "entirely renounce relinquish and abandon" (etc) your former name. So that’s it then, I’ve done it now, it’s all signed so I can’t call myself Fred any more. No solicitor need be present, just one witness – thanks Cerys, who just happened to pay me a visit over the weekend and sign in quintuplicate as my witness. I guess there’s no such word as quintuplicate and I probably won’t need that many originals but then again when you think about who needs to be informed it becomes slightly mind-boggling, and many of these institutions will require sight of the original document.

I can now apply for a new driver’s license/passport etc etc, but as yet I cannot change my gender on such ID. As I understand it the new rules say that one can apply for a gender recognition certificate after a minimum of two years living in the chosen gender, but I’m not too bothered really. Stealth is not an option if I am to continue this path; ID that says, "name: Lucy, gender: male" is a bit of a giveaway, but since I am required to live full time to get treatment on the NHS and referral for surgery I am caught between a rock and a hard place. At least I would be if I was bothered about it. No, it will just be nice to have ID in Lucy’s name and without Fred’s ugly mug for a photo.

There is such a thing as a statutory declaration which is a name change which does require the presence of a solicitor; some financial institutions may require this, but I’ll cross that bridge if and when I need to, that’s still only about 30 or 40 quid. I’m sure I have enough to be going on with for the time being though.

So, wow, it’s official, my name is Lucy! Call me Fred and I will sue the pants off you, or skirt, whichever is appropriate.

Woo hoo!

xx