The first thing you have to know is that my name is really Michelle.
The second is that my Great Grandmother was from Imperial Russia, and escaped after the Revolution.
When I was born my Mother wanted to name me Michael Steven. Steven being my fathers name. My Dad was in the Army and was in Vietnam when I was born; which ironically set the tone for most of my life. My Mom's Grandma had come up to stay with her while she in the last month of her pregnancy. We lived just a bit too far for her parents to casually visit.
The day came and Mom had a long delivery, after which she more or less passed out. When the registrar came by ( remember this was when the babies were in the nursery and the Moms were in their rooms) to get my name my Great Grandmother ( who had French tutors and other staff) told her/him that it was Meechelle Stephanov "Smith". Well, the registrar heard Great Grandmas heavy accent and wrote down Michelle Stephanie "Smith" and checked "female".
Of course back then you really didn't need a birth certificate for much of anything. It wasn't until I tried to join the Army, the first time, that I found out the mistake on my birth certificate. At first I thought I might have had a deceased twin and asked my Mom what was going on. She went down to the Court House with me and sure enough, that was my birth certificate. Right father, right Mother, right date. Wrong name and sex.
We tried to get this changed but California required that for a change to a birth certificate dealing with the sex of the child, two people had to sign affidavits saying they knew the child from birth to the present day and that the sex was in error. Ok.....well, my Mom was still alive but the only two people who were present at in the hospital on the day of my birth were my Great Grandmother who passed in 1970 and the family Doctor who delivered me, who passed in 1977.
We went to court. The judge was sympathetic but said his hands were tied. And I was unable to join the Army. Shortly afterwards we got a call from the Judge's Clerk who asked us to come down to his office. It turns out that even if I could get the sex straightened out I would not be able to change the name on my BC. I could legally change my name but it wouldn't effect my BC.
What he did do was have my parents sign affidavits after which I was granted a delayed BC. I got into the Army and all was right with the world......
Great right? Not so much.
I later had to get a security clearance and this whole thing came back to bite me in the butt. My original BC turned up in the background check and since my Grandmother and her parents were from Russia, it threw up all sorts of flags. The short version of a very long story is that my service records were amended with my original BC and name, with a memorandum explaining the whole history.
The biggest problem is that my Social Security Number was issued to Michelle, not Michael. I entered the Army with Michelle's SSN, but Michael's BC. At one point in my security clearance struggle Michael was issued his own SSN. Which the Army used for a short time until they found it caused all sorts of pay issues and paperwork issues and reverted back to Michelles SSN.
Post Army I had to make the decision as to which SSN to use. My Tax man said it would be smart to use Michelle's because all the quarters and money already built up in that SS account. GREAT! Ok, so I did. Now that I am getting ready for Social Security they have data mismatch and say that it can't be my account because of a data miss match. My BC says female but everything else says Male. I'm still working this out.
Have you tried to get a Drivers licence with a bc with the "wrong" sex? NOT a lot of fun. I do however; have a Court document from California that let me get a DL in California using my original BC. Ohio wouldn't accept it, and that led to lots of problems back in the day. Ohio has more lienient laws now..but it doesn't make any diff because now I live 24/7 and it has finally, worked in my favor, mostly. Usually.
Have you tried to marry a woman back in the 80s with a bc that says YOUR a woman? Easy as Pie NOW. Almost impossible then. If I had not had the Court memoranda I would not have been allowed to get a Marriage lic.!
How about proving you are the father of your children? Not real hard for their BC as you don't have to show your's to fill out theirs. However when the above Background check was done.....and pay and allowances are determined by your dependents....
How about claiming my children on taxes when my SS records clearly say I'm a woman, based on my SSN; AND they already have a Mom?
That one actually bugged me as I peacefully claimed them for many years till I got divorced and my ex decided to screw with me.
Speaking of divorces. My lawyer told me that if I didn't want to, I did not have to get a divorce since, in Ohio, I wasn't legally married. Because in Ohio, I am legally a woman and always have been. Something I didn't know till then. However; because California recognized the marriage as legal and I wanted to establish jurisdiction in Ohio I proceeded with it anyway.
When one of my daughters wanted to come live with me my ex wife fought it tooth and nail because she couldn't afford to lose the child support. She initially got the California Court (who were completely ignoring the Ohio Court's decisions) to deny my petition because I couldn't be the parent as they had established that my ex was the Mom and I was a woman. Therefore I couldn't be the father. Thankfully the Court memoranda saved my butt...again.
There is a lot more, but you get the message. It really is not something I would wish on anyone.
, Oh my that is quite a story, Once I started I just had to read the whole story.
O..
