Name and gender marker changeS

[Katya@]

Hi folks,

Looking for words of advice and wisdom from those who changed name and/or gender marker.

I am considering changing my legal First name to it's gender neutral version, which is a small change by itself but an important one for me from emotional point view (it's not Katya, even though I like Katya but outside of the forum, no one knows about this name). I really started to dislike being called by my male First name. My current work email is already set to my new First name and people call me that way, so thankfully, I don't hear it very frequently. But I see it all the time on all official documents from banks, to insurance, etc. So making official change was on my mind for a while, and if it was the only change, no one would even know.
I am also transitioning to a new role in my company that will come with considerable amount of travel on the north East us and Eastern Canada, but other states in the US as well (when we get to normal). I am also presenting more and more feminine and use women's bathrooms when away, and go through TSA as everyone else. I was already considering to get TSA-Pre to avoid body scanners but due to expected increase in travel, I thought that it maybe I should change the gender marker too to get the piece of mind. Not all states have legal protection like my home state NY. I don't even know if there are still states where it is illegal to use bathrooms of "opposite" gender. If I was to go through the hassle (time and money) of changing the name on all the documents, it doesn't cost any extra to change the gender marker at the same time, the way I understand it. But should I decide to change the gender marker later, I will have to repeat the process. I have a lot of documents to change like passport, naturalization certificate, driver's license to mention a few big ones.

Do you agree with my logic? I identify as non-binary but this is not an option for NY State drivers license or US Passport so I will be changing it to Female, which is more appropriate for me than Male considering how I like to present and feel about myself (we still live in a Binary world).

P.S. From limited research I've done, I think I understand the process and can do it and can afford it. However, I have also an option to work with LGBT attorney who specializes in this. He offers a sliding scale but in my situation, it will be fair to pay full cost of $1000. Not sure if it is worth or not. $1000 is still a good chunk of money that I can use towards various fees for passport, and naturalization certificate (the last one cost $555 alone, ouch!).

Thanks,
Katya