It's a lot of work, but having a matching ID is very convenient. And if someone asks for my deadname, I can tell them "I don't know anyone by that name"

I didn't think I was going to want to, but as I start to pass more I started to hate getting deadnamed or misgendered when using my credit card/license/accounts. But if I knew how much work it was going to be when I started I probably would have put it off longer!

It's my gender that I haven't updated on my birth certificate. It's been 6 years for me, and I just can't be bothered jumping through the hoops

Yep! It's been five years so far of hrt for me and I still haven't legally changed my name. Most likely that's due to having felt like names were all fake for so much of my life. Yet why was I so jealous of my friend who just picked her own new name in grade school and got away with it? My state in the us still requires running a newspaper ad for a while which isn't something I'm looking forward to and the state I was born in requires gcs to change birth certificates. There's a fair possibility that I'm intersex as well though which would allow me to have my birth certificate changed to reflect that with only a test of some sort. I'm definitely going to get it all done before the end of the next presidential election here since who knows what horrors might happen if the republicans won in this climate.

Been using my new name for 10 years, but have been putting off the legal change because I just deeply hate legal systems and paperwork. But it gets harder and harder to see that old name on my ID or anything financial related, so going to suck it up and get it done this year.

I got my name change almost 7 years ago in Arizona (US). It wasn't awful (the actual court date was a breeze, besides the waiting); but it was a pretty serious headache just figuring out where to start, and the court filing did take $300 that I probably wouldn't have had at another time in my life.

I was taking it slowly ta first and basically waiting until my if photo would match target gender better. Now I slightly regret not starting earliest possible, as the weight of having non-matching names grew heavy quickly, and the bureaucrats in my regressive citizenship country made sure it's taking years instead of months (happy I still have the option at all though! If I had to get another citizenship/asylum and never have the option to correct a birth certificate, it'd really suck)

I've done it twice. The second time, I asked for a waiver of the court fees and it was granted. So it was just the time.

I'm planning to do it a third time, because I've gotten married, and we want to combine our last names. I will ask for a waiver of the fees again.

It doesn't hurt to ask, so long as you don't lie.

Once COVID's largely over, it'll be safe enough for me to go in person to get a legal name change.

I need to do my birth certificate before Missouri makes it illegal.