Hello! My name is Elliot Adderley and I am looking to fund my name and gender marker change.

I am a transgender male born in Louisiana but living in New Jersey. In 2021, I was able to utilize the A4TE's Name Change Project to change my legal name to match the name I have been using since I came out in 2013. However, once the process was completed and I had received a new NJ ID, I was informed that my home state of Louisiana does not recognize out of state name changes and that the project would not be able to alter my birth certificate, gender marker or social security card.

I was then referred to a pro-bono attorney in New Orleans. I submitted my documents to him immediately but after months of waiting and being ignored, I was informed he had stopped practicing. I was then transferred to a different Louisiana attorney .. who was NOT pro-bono and because of how little of my documents the initial attorney submitted, her fees are $700 to touch my paperwork. I am then also responsible for the court fees which can range from $400-$600.

It is a scary time living as a transgender person, especially with no valid documents with any matching name.