Update Jude's Birth Certificate

UPDATE: Okay wow! We reached that goal wayyyy too fast so any excess funds are going to be directly donated to Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA). I’ll leave the page up until midnight for anyone who is still wanting to help out. Also here are a couple links to other GoFundMe’s if you want to donate to any individual trans folk who are still needing help.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-tobys-gender-affirming-surgery?qid=8cce36415a2b2f451bfa44a66d294cf6

https://www.gofundme.com/f/bfxbk-maxs-top-surgery

Hey everyone!

Coming to you all with a bit of humility to ask for your help in paying the legal fees necessary to update my gender marker on my Alabama birth certificate. This is the last hurdle for me to jump before all of my documentation is up to date—something that has become more important than ever given our current political climate, and the legislative attacks on trans folks that are bound to escalate in the upcoming years.

In 2024, South Carolina passed a law banning trans youth access to gender affirming healthcare. The law was insidiously written in order to also affect trans adults like myself. After going to MUSC for hormones for the last 9 years, the hospital announced a discrimination policy based on gender identity, and dropped all trans-related healthcare for patients of any age. After this, I scrambled to find care at Roper Hospital. One appointment later, and they also ceased all trans-related care, regardless of age. I have managed to find care with a smaller practice for now, but my future in this state is looking bleak. Access to healthcare is my top priority, so an eventual move may be inevitable in the coming months/year—causing a further (and unnecessary) financial burden.

I have been weighing the decision to ask for help at all, knowing how many people in my community are facing the same needs, and struggling not to compare my circumstances to others'. After much consideration, I've decided to make this GoFundMe because many of my friends and family have expressed a desire to help, and this is a tangible way. The financial hurdles of navigating systemic trans discrimination are very real, and any assistance is appreciated beyond words. Even if it's just a sharing of my story, I would be so grateful!

Just a little detail about the process and what the money will cover for anyone interested:

In order to update my birth certificate in Alabama, I need a court order stating I've undergone the appropriate "procedures" and have officially "transitioned" (which is extremely harmful and problematic language in itself, considering not every trans or non-binary person goes the route of taking hormones and having surgeries).

Despite having a court order from South Carolina which states exactly what was necessary, the Vital Statistics office in Alabama refused to update my gender on my birth certificate and would only update my name. (It's also worth mentioning that Alabama is one of very few states that still "outs" trans folks after changing their birth certificates, by highlighting any details that were changed, and what they were prior to the update. This means that even with an amended birth certificate, I could still be put in danger any time it's shown—a reality I unfortunately have to accept.)

I am now going through the process again of getting a court order, this time through the Alabama courts in hopes of solving any issues that impeded my approval before. I was required to seek the assistance of a lawyer to help expedite this process before the executive order goes into effect, and to help navigate the complicated nature of state laws and judicial relationships.

As of now, I have secured a lawyer who has successfully helped other trans folks in Alabama. However, she charges a $750 flat-rate fee. As long as there are no further issues with the Vital Records office, this should be all I am required to pay, and thus all I am seeking your help to cover. We are unsure if the recent executive order will affect the process immediately, or if we can successfully make this update before any official changes occur. Even my lawyer is unsure, and has deemed me her "test case" in seeing whether this is still possible. In the event that my gender marker gets successfully updated, I will share the news and pop some bottles to celebrate!

If you got this far, thank you so much for your kindness and interest in my experience! Times are tough, and the trans community needs your resistance to this political and societal violence now more than ever. I think as long as we stick together and support one another, we will make it through.

Love you,

J