This piece originally appeared on Civic Ideas.
NEW YORK – Jasper King chose his new name while leafing through a baby name book in a local library.
“Somebody had circled the word Jasper and the meaning of it was ‘strong, powerful, treasure,’” said King, 18, from San Angelo, Texas. “I thought that was a really nice, ideal name for me, because I feel like I’m a strong person and having a name that means that reinforces it.”
Baby name books and pronoun “dressing room” websites are first stops for those questioning their gender or embarking on their transition. For many, finding a name that reflects their gender identity produces confidence and security.
While picking out a new name is an important first step, updating identity documents is an arduous and expensive legal process. Motivated by November’s election results, however, many non-binary (those who don’t identify as a man or woman) and transgender people are undertaking the process of updating their names, gender markers or both.