So You Changed All Your IDs… Or Did You?

Did you change your diplomas?

Some schools allow you to change your information on your school records other don’t

Calif. bill requires colleges to update trans graduates' names on their diplomas.
Assemblyman David Chiu said the proposal is intended to combat the barriers that transgender and nonbinary people face at school and in the workplace.
NBC News
By Nico Lang
February 3, 2020

California appears poised to make it easier for transgender and nonbinary graduates of public colleges and universities to change the name on their diploma.

Assemblyman David Chiu, a Democrat from San Francisco, introduced legislation last week that would require public colleges to update the names of former students to reflect their gender identity. He said the bill is intended to combat the “barriers” that trans and nonbinary people face “at school and in the workplace.”
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While schools are legally required to use the chosen names of currently enrolled students under California law, that policy does not extend to alumni who socially or medically transition after graduation. There is no guidance for schools on updating the diplomas or official transcripts of graduates, and while many colleges do update these documents upon request, they can choose not to do so.

I think that California will be the first state to require the changes and it is vital that trans students have the correct data on their school records.

“If a student doesn’t have an updated diploma or transcript, they can face challenges applying for graduate school or employment opportunities,” he explained. “Also, a diploma with a wrong name can have the effect of outing someone who doesn't wish to be outed in a workplace or another environment where they may feel unsafe coming out.”

When I applied to grad school my undergraduate schools would not change their records, the two year college is no longer in business and I had to get my records from state and for my four year school they told me the records are microfilmed and cannot be changed. I am a firm believer in picking your battles  and this one wasn’t worth fighting, so I submitted my transcripts to the University of Connecticut School of Social Work and waited. It didn’t take long, when I got home from classes (I was taking non-matriculated classes) I had a message on from admissions… “There seems to be a discrepancy in your transcripts.” The next day I walked into admissions and when they looked up from their desks… “Oh we have figured it out. No problem.” yeah I was only trans student in the school, but I gave them a copy of my probate letter.

In order to have their names changed on college diplomas, graduates are required under Chiu’s bill to submit a state ID, driver’s license, Social Security card, birth certificate, U.S. passport or document indicating a court-ordered name change, but many individuals do not yet have their chosen name listed on those documents. A national survey from the National Center for Trans Equality in 2015 found that 68 percent of respondents hadn’t amended their name or gender on any form of identification.

When I graduated a few years later I had to fill out a form for what I wanted on my diploma, it said… Legal Name, Name that you want on your diploma. By that time I had legally changed my name so that was a problem.