March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility, also known as “TDOV”. TDOV is a time to celebrate transgender people and raise awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide.
Downtown Notary is a trans-ally business. This blog post describes some of the steps Downtown Notary has taken to support the trans community and trans rights.
What’s in a government identification?
For many trans people, legally changing their names and sex designation on government identification is an important part of transitioning.
Having government identification that correctly reflects your name and gender identity is important for so many reasons. Government identification that correctly reflects your name and gender identity affirms who you are to yourself and society. Government identification is required for many basic, fundamental processes in life, including getting a job, traveling, opening a bank account and accessing government services, etc. Government identification that does not reflect your gender identity creates unnecessary barriers to these processes.
In Ontario, trans persons can apply to the Government of Ontario to have their sex designation changed on their government identification cards and have their name legally changed. Both changing your sex designation and name require a statutory declaration to be sworn in front of a notary public. For more information on these processes visit the Government of Ontario’s web pages on Changing Sex Designation on Your Government IDs and Name Change.
People who identify as trans often experience barriers to accessing necessary services due to discrimination or harassment based on their gender identity and gender expression. This includes government services and legal services.
Downtown Notary believes that trans people have a right to government identification that correctly reflect their names and gender identities. That’s why we notarize statutory declarations for changing names and sex designations for trans persons for free. This is our way of helping to break down the barriers that many trans people experience in their day to day lives.
Robin’s experience with Downtown Notary
“I initially booked an appointment at a different company of which provides commissioners. But when I discovered that Downtown Notary provides a discount on trans folk seeking commissioners for legal name changes and gender marker changes, I immediately cancelled my initial appointment and instead, sought out services from Downtown Notary. I must say, I do not regret a single thing when I cancelled that appointment. My first impression of Downtown Notary was how considerate they were. I have never encountered a company of which provides such services for trans individuals. Their service has made my journey a whole lot easier. For many trans people, legally changing documents are as expensive as it is. I did not have to spend a single penny on their services, and for that I cannot be grateful enough. The notary who assisted me was very understanding, kind and patient. My appointment was better than I expected. Not once did he make me feel dysphoric, which is something that many trans individuals struggle with every day. My experience with Downtown Notary was phenomenal and I do not think it could have gone any better. I highly recommend choosing services from Downtown Notary, especially for trans individuals seeking to change legal documents.”
Contact us today
To learn more about Downtown Notary’s free services for trans persons, or about any of our notary public and commissioner for taking oaths services, contact us today.
Please not the person who wrote this blog post is not a trans person, and is not an expert on trans-related issues. This blog post was written from the perspective of trans allyship. If you find any issues with this blog post, e.g., incorrect terminology, etc., please let us know. We welcome the opportunity to learn and become better allies to the LGBTQ+ community.