HealthInfo Canterbury
Social transition
Social transition is when a person changes their gender expression in social situations to better align with their gender identity.
Social transition can include:
- clothing
- style
- hairstyle
- makeup
- choosing a name
- choosing pronouns
- choosing gender markers to use on forms
- telling people around you
- dressing and living as your preferred identity
- changing your name and gender in legal identification documents.
Support networks for transgender people and Support networks for transgender children, youth & their whānau/families can help you with information about clothing, styling, hair removal, safe binding, packing, tucking and padding, social groups and other useful information.
Changing your name and gender marker in legal identification documents
Naming New Zealand provides information and financial help to transgender, gender diverse and intersex youth to help them update their identity documents to correctly reflect their sex and gender information.
The links below have information about updating your birth certificate, passport, driver licence and the motor vehicle register.
Also see how to change your name and gender marker in your health records.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Ministry of Justice – Change sex on your birth certificate
Information about applying to the family court to change the sex on your birth certificate.
- Department of Internal Affairs – Information for transgender applicants
Information about citizenship and passport policies for transgender applicants as well as information about the legal requirements to change the sex on your birth certificate.
- Department of Internal Affairs Identity and Passports – Information about changing sex / gender identity
Information about applying for a passport in your preferred gender identity.
- New Zealand Transport Agency – Changing the gender details on your driver licence record
Information about how to change your gender on the driver licence register or the motor vehicle register.
Written by Ko Awatea gender-affirming care co-design group. Adapted by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Page created May 2019.
Sources
See also:
Image courtesy of The Gender Spectrum Collection.
Review key: HISOG-53214
