Changing names

In New York, it has become easier for transgendered individuals to legally change their names to match their gender identity. According to the New York Times, two restrictive rulings have been overturned, and that will pave the way for smoother legal dealings. In one, a judge who refused to grant name changes without a doctor's note was overruled. In another, a judge provided an exception to the requirement that name changes be printed in area newspapers. This requirement, the judge said, put transgendered people at risk of hostility or violence.

"The process of changing a name can be intimidating, said Kit Yan, a 25-year-old poetry slam artist and performer with a hint of facial hair who was born Laura," writes William Glaberson at the Times. "He failed twice when he tried on his own to get the law to recognize the name a friend suggested after seeing a cartoon character named Kit that looked like him, a little boy in a suit.

"With a lawyer in May, Mr. Yan said, he felt relief when he heard 'Laura' to summon him for the last time when his case was called. 'It felt like giving away, say, an ugly Christmas sweater your mom made you,' Mr. Yan said." -Naomi