SF State’s Queer & Trans Resource Center, in collaboration with the Legal Resource Center and LYRIC Center for LGBTQIA+ Youth, is hosting a Legal Name and Gender Change Workshop on Tuesday, April 18th.
LYRIC is a local nonprofit that helps youth who want to go through the legal process of changing their name and gender. The event will be hosted online through a Zoom meeting from 3- 4:30 p.m. Participants can RSVP for the workshop by filling out a Google Form.
The workshop will be accompanied by a presentation explaining the name and gender change process on campus, as well as the process of changing that information on legal documents like a driver’s license or birth certificate.
The process is extensive with a lot of fees involved. The event’s purpose is to reduce those barriers and provide resources such as fee reduction, navigating through paperwork and legal advice from lawyers.
Jeremy Lark, assistant director of the QTRC, said the workshop is important for individuals who want to change their name and gender to align with their identity.
“The workshop helps people update official documents like their ID [and] birth certificate which helps them register as the gender that aligns with how they feel,” Lark said. “It’s incredibly affirming for the individual, it’s like the legal recognition of what they already knew inside.”
Last week, students protested an event hosted by Turning Point USA and swimmer Riley Gaines’ speech about trans women in sports. QTRC closed its office for a week on Monday, April 10th after Accuracy in Media’s appearance on campus.
The event was initially planned to be in person at SF State’s Jack Adams Hall. According to Lark, the workshop was moved online because of recent events and developments on campus.
“It is the first event since the protest happened so we’re trying to give room for the commotion to die down,” Lark said. “This is one of those events where it’s a quiet session and informational, so it’s a lot more prone to disruption than fun, social events.”
The Name and Gender Change Workshop is a recurring event that QTRC has hosted in the past and is the current LRC team’s first involvement in organizing the workshop.
