Eli's Name Change Fund

My name is Elijah, I'm 17 and transgender. I was assigned female at birth but I've never thought of myself as a girl. After coming out as male and starting hormone replacement therapy, a legal name change is the next vital step in my transition. After living under the name Elijah for about a year now, the need for a name change is growing more and more apparent. There's no way I could come up with over $400 on my own so I'm asking y'all for help.
I do activist work in South Florida with Food Not Bombs, providing food to those in need and trying to prevent the further criminalization of homelessness. Unfortunately, this kind of work comes along with inevitable police encounters and not having a legal name that matches my gender expression could lead to police harrassment. A legal name change would also make finding a job a lot easier and allow me to get a new passport with my preffered name so I can visit my family in Canada. With a new legal name, I can also learn how to drive and not have to worry about carrying around a liscence with a name on it that isn't mine.
My legal name is very triggering for me and it's always extremely uncomfortable whenever I'm in a situation where it needs to be disclosed. A name change would just make my life a thousand times easier and I appreciate any of you who decide to throw some cash my way.