WA Legislation Would Seal Name & Gender Change Records

[Carolyn Marie]

https://apnews.com/article/district-of-columbia-washington-california-health-gender-c1c8a24a01c5d307bdc2e9037c1b0fd0

 

I am glad to read that CA is also considering similar legislation.  It's an excellent idea, IMO.

 

Carolyn Marie

[VickySGV]

I was told my old Birth Certificate here in CA was sealed when I got the new one two years ago.  My petition for Name Change was 11 years ago when we still had to publish the name change, but I picked a purely legal newspaper to do it so I am not seriously worried and 11 years later I am still getting junk mail in the old name.  I am glad it is happening though and know it would be better in the long run. We shall see.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

That would be a great idea.  I don't know why so many states have name change rules like "Publish a notice in the newspaper for 3 consecutive weeks."  It shouldn't be anybody's business but mine and the people I choose to associate with.

[VickySGV]

8 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

I don't know why so many states have name change rules like "Publish a notice in the newspaper for 3 consecutive weeks."

 

Collection of lawful debts by creditors and escaping lawful service of process in civil and criminal court matters. 

[Charlize]

While i hated having to wait until the paper had run the add( i had to pay for) it was apparent that there was  a legitimate  reason .   Like you Vicky, i still get calls and junk mail in my old name.  I also get mail for my water who died years prior to transition.  In NJ at this point I'm not worried but with politics as they are who knows.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Marcie Jensen]

3 minutes ago, Charlize said:

 Like you Vicky, i still get calls and junk mail in my old name.

Me, too.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

4 hours ago, VickySGV said:

 

Collection of lawful debts by creditors and escaping lawful service of process in civil and criminal court matters. 

 

Hadn't thought about the debt part... although with all names and addresses being in a computer database, I doubt courts would have difficulty serving papers.

 

I imagine that in the case of sealed name change records like this legislation in WA, there would be a provision for creditors, right?  But even so, sealing these records would be a big win for privacy.

[VickySGV]

2 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

although with all names and addresses being in a computer database, I doubt courts would have difficulty serving papers.

I spent 33 years looking for debtors of my State who had ducked through the cracks, sometimes taking on names their own parents were unaware of, and not legally changed. While the last 15 years I worked for them, we did have good computer search methods, my time was out on the highways and the concrete sidewalk tracing them down.  The laws about publication do however date back to the 1850's in CA where I am, but were part of Spanish Law since CA was owned by them back just before then.  The Tear Sheet posted on the local newspaper's office was the internet of its day. 

 

(I may add that about 45% of the time, when I did find the people and spoke to them, that a couple of pieces of paper from them to my agency turned into money in their pockets when all the information came out.)