EFFECTS OF LEGAL IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS ON GENDER DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS: IDENTITIES, LOCATIONS, AND NAMES

Abstract

Legal identification is a universal expectation, but in Tennessee transgender and non-conforming individuals cannot obtain documents that match their gender identity. The increased use of technology and growing legislative battles leave many transgender people at risk of discrimination, unemployment, homelessness, or harm due to mismatched identifications. Identification is just one symptom of the problem in the larger framework of inequality for gender diverse people, but being able to have easily obtainable matching identification would lessen the negative impacts of being mislabeled. The purpose of this study was to explore among those born in Tennessee knowledge of the processes and experiences with changing their legal documents, and if having validated legal documents was connected to their sense of self. I found that those who identified along the gendered binary had accomplished the most changing their legal documents to reflect their gender identity while those who identified as non-binary were less likely to attempt document amendments. None of the respondents were likely to leave Tennessee to amend their documents. Instead, respondents carved out an alternative space for themselves through the use of names. Their social location became an important way to claim their personal right of expression and to re-define themselves in a situation where they legally cannot.