From GayRVA: http://www.gayrva.com/news-views/trans-man-denied-name-change-from-louisa-county-judge/
“when it comes to someone needing their name changed for their mental health, they get roadblocked.”

From GayRVA: http://www.gayrva.com/news-views/trans-man-denied-name-change-from-louisa-county-judge/
“when it comes to someone needing their name changed for their mental health, they get roadblocked.”
A trans-man from Louisa County, Virginia, has been denied a name change by a Circuit Judge who, contrary to current Virginia law, said medical documentation was required for legal name changes.
Jacob Haley went to the Louisa County Courthouse in February of this year. When he handed the clerk the forms to change his legal name from his female birth name to his male name, the clerk, according to Haley, said ”more than likely (you’re) going to need a hearing, the judge is going to want to know the reasoning.”
Haley realized this might happen and asked if he would need to bring anything with him when he returned to court. He was told to bring “anything that would help explain the name change.”
Haley currently works two jobs and receives health care form one of his employers. But his health care does not cover transgender-related services, including hormone treatment or therapy. Unable to afford treatment, Haley has been working with local groups and has been raising funds independently. But it has not been easy. “It’s a struggle,” said Haley. “I’ve been trying to get money together since 2011 when I came out.”
Lacking any direction from the clerk, and without any kind of therapy services, Haley went to court a few days after filing the paperwork to plead his case to the judge. Haley explained that he was female to male transgender, and that he needed to change his name to help his mental health. ”I’ve been dealing with this for a very long time – it’s all I can really say; it’s just me being upfront and honest,” he told the judge.
The judge, Hon. Timothy Sanner, told Haley that in previous name-changing cases involving transgender individuals, a note from a doctor or some medical record was brought to help prove the need for a name change. According to Haley, Judge Sanner said “The prior case had been seen by a therapist for years, had been through hormone therapy, and had a letter and things to back their story up.”
“What does that person have to do with me?” Haley thought, but he was hesitant to say this in the courtroom. “Yes, we’re both transgender, but we could have come from different walks of life. That person could have had access to more healthcare options. I don’t.”
Continue reading at: http://www.gayrva.com/news-views/trans-man-denied-name-change-from-louisa-county-judge/