The Only Surprise That I Had…

…When I changed my name was the judge asking me where I was going to have my surgery, he said “That all the other women have theirs’s done in Montreal.” Hun? “All the women?” I didn’t think there were other trans people in town.

Down in Georgia the judge had different concerns.

Local transgender man speaks out after friend also denied name change
WRDW
By Ben Billmyer & Lauren Hoar
Posted: September 08, 2016

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- The number of local men fighting to change their name is now up to two as Andrew Baumert is appealing a decision by Superior Court Judge David Roper.

He's the second transgender man to have a request to legally change his name denied by Judge Roper this year after Rowan Feldhaus, Baumert's friend, was denied in March.

"It's more of like a safety blanket because our name is what we present to the public," Feldhaus says. "And if I were to go to somebody and say my name was Rebecca, they'd be like "um I'm having a hard time believing that you're Rebecca."

He's made his transition and says the name change will make things final. After months of traveling, he says his legal name and identity make for a tough time at hotels and restaurants.
[…]
But after two denials have been requested, Feldhaus says it's a clear issue for Judge Roper.

The grounds for rejecting a name change are,

In Georgia, courts must find good and sufficient reasons for any name change and also find it consistent with the public interest.

But the court can deny any request to keep folks from evading creditors or escaping criminal punishment.

The name also can't be seen as offensive, obscene or confusing to the general public. That is where Judge Roper's denial is based.

The article goes on to say,

Senior Attorney in Lambda Legal's Southern Regional Office in Atlanta, Beth Littrell said there are only a few exceptions to allow a court to deny someone the right to change their name. She states it should not be denied based on sexist notions or transgender bias.

Here in Connecticut we are lucky that we don’t have to put up with the stuff they do down south. We don’t have to publish our name change which is really nice but sometimes judges do not like waving the fees because they feel that the name change is not necessary. However, this does create a hardship for those who cannot afford the fee.