Get Organised
The legal side of transitioning can be confusing when you first glance at it.
So, to make things easier, I’ll be taking you through the whole process step by step, in as much detail as possible. Each post will have a ‘What you’ll need’ section if necessary, so that you can make sure you’re not missing anything.
Before you even think about legally transitioning, which just means to change your legal details in a few different ways, (usually meaning title, name, and gender) you’ll need to be organized.
What you’ll need:
A lever arch file (Or two)
Seriously, these things are great. They’re big, sturdy, and come in some fun colours. People usually use them for school, but they work here, too.
A4 Punched Pockets
I recommend these ones. They’re good quality, and they’ll keep your documents nice and safe. These Popper Wallets are for the really, really important documents like Deed Polls.
Dividers
To keep everything separated and organized. These ones are big enough to see from the outside of the folder.
So that you know what you’re actually looking at.
Why Do I Need All This Stuff?
Because legal transitions can take years and years, and these folders don’t just have to be for gender related stuff. They can also be for anything you need to keep hold of, like letters and doctors appointments, etc.
I have a separate folder for my GRC application, because there’s a lot that goes into one of those. Although, not everyone applies for one. You can read all about that process here.
I organize my main folder a bit like this:
Gender Clinic Letters/Gender Related Stuff
Name Change Documents (Good to make copies of things)
Top Surgery Letters (Plus a list of any questions you might have for your surgeon)
School (School reports, certificates)
NHS Letters
NHS Referrals
Blood Test Results (Your gender clinic might ask for these if you start hormones. The nurse who administers your hormones, if you’re being injected with something, can print off blood test results. So can doctors or anyone at the front desk.)
Other (Anything that doesn’t fit into the above categories)
You can organize things however you want, but this is how I personally do it.
And I know this might seem over the top, but you never know when you need something. Especially any evidence for a GRC application years into the future, or evidence of a name change.
When I was younger, I definitely didn’t really think about what I’d need long term. And doing something like this in a planned way, (instead of organically like I did, collecting stuff over the years and haphazardly throwing it into a folder) is certainly time consuming.
But here’s some general life advice – it really does help to be organized.
You’ll thank yourself later on, honestly, trust me.
