Many of the Executive Orders issued by the new presidential administration have targeted and broadly discriminated against transgender people. Examples of the attacks include restricting passports, school censorship, and slashing funding for LGBTQ+ programs. See the article, All the Ways Trump Wants to Exclude People From Public Life.
One of the first Executive Orders prevented people from having a passport with a gender marker different than their sex assigned at birth and eliminated the non-binary designation on US passports. It also prohibited the Social Security Administration from changing someone’s gender marker to affirm their gender identity.
Despite the significant impact on Federal agencies, California laws remain unchanged and the Santa Clara County court continues to process name and gender marker change petitions. California residents are also able to obtain California-issued identity documents that align with their gender expression and identity.
Our Pro Bono Program has been closely tracking litigation, participating in statewide collaboratives, and joining community meetings to stay up-to-date on how policy changes are impacting our community. For our transgender clients who want to change their name with the Social Security Administration (SSA), our Pro Bono Program has partnered with the Health Program so that a Health advocate can accompany a client to their appointment to provide support and ensure the name change process is approved.
We are committed to supporting the rights of our LGBTQIA+ community and will provide updates as more information becomes available.
As Shakina, Trans Activist and Performer, says:
“The government cannot control my sense of self. The government cannot legislate my spirit. The government can try to make life harder, but community makes me stronger.”
📞 Need help? Call us at 408-280-2420 for questions about name and/or gender marker changes in Santa Clara County. We're here for you.