Comment I have an F to M TG friend ... (Score 1) 814
He has had a hysterectomy, has taken T / lived as a man for eight years, and only a handful of people have ever known him as "her." Here in Ohio, he changed his name easily enough, and his driver's license was easy enough to change, but it ends there.
To change federal status you need to revise your birth certificate, which is up to your state of residence. In some states you can easily change your birth certificate, not in Ohio. As I recall, in Ohio you are still required to prove you have had all of the surgical procedures (in his case, doctor's statements signing off on a double mastectomy, hysterectomy, and penile reconstruction) in order to have your birth certificate gender changed. From there you can send in your birth certificate to the department of social security to be issued a new social security card and a new passport.
Alternately, you can lie to the passport people and tell them that your birth certificate has the wrong gender. You send them the copy of your state driver's license as proof, and they correct it, then you send your passport and driver's license as proof to social security, and they correct it. You'll still have the screwed up birth certificate. Thanks, Ohio.
For transgender and intersex people this is archaic. For my state, it's embarrassing. For my friend, it means that a bearded, deep-voiced, guy (in every apparent aspect) still has documentation out there stating that a well-adjusted hetero dude who is obviously a "he" -- believe me you'd never guess -- is still considered a "she."