#and I can’t complete my fafsa form for some reason :( it keeps giving me an error message | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

trans-advice · 5 years

Note

I'm a trans guy and I'm going back to school soon, just getting some prereqs out of the way then trying to get into the fire academy. I'm afraid to start transitioning while I'm still living with my moms (I'm out but its complicated) and I cant move out until I finish school and get a better job but I cant stand the thought of finishing school and still being a girl. I dont know what to do

i’m sorry for the usa-centricism. i work with what i’ve got & know.

the draft is basically required for fasfa & govt benefits

firstly, i want to mention that (in usa) legal males have to register for the draft aka “selective service” in order to receive college funding. however since trans people are not allowed to change their gender markers on the draft forms until the draft becomes active again. also whether the marker will be changed &or whether you’re disqualified for the draft is up to the board. this means unless you’re able to get the documentation showing you are/were exempt or else otherwise register before your 26th birthday (you can only be 18-25 when registering), that you will likely lose your ability to get government grants for college & other things.

quote from 2005 https://transequality.org/issues/resources/selective-service-and-transgender-people

Failure to [register] is punishable by up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines, though individuals have rarely been prosecuted. Applications for federal financial aid for higher education, federal employment, United States citizenship and other government benefits have been made contingent upon Selective Service registration in order to encourage compliance. Therefore, when applying for government benefits, transgender people can often face particular difficulties in regards to their Selective Service registration status.

here’s the draft’s faq mentioning transgender people.

https://www.sss.gov/QA

How does the Military Selective Service Act apply to individuals who have changed their gender identity from the sex assigned at birth?

Selective Service bases the registration requirement on gender at birth and not on gender identity or on whether they’ve had a sex change. Individuals who are born female and changed their gender to male are not required to register. U.S. citizens or immigrants who are born male and changed their gender to female are still required to register. The legal authority is based on the Military Selective Service Act (MSSA), which does not address gender identify or transsexual persons. In addition, Presidential Proclamation 4771 refers to “males” who were “born” on or after January 1, 1960. Thus, Selective Service interprets the MSSA as applying to gender at birth because Congress did not contemplate transgender persons or a person’s gender identity when it required on “males” to register when the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was passed and amended by the Selective Service Act of 1948 to create the Selective Service System. Until Congress amends the MSSA or passes a separate law addressing transsexuals and gender identity, Selective Service must follow the intent of the of Congress when it required only males to register – the registration requirement is based on gender at birth.

In the event of a resumption of the draft, individuals born male who have changed their gender to female can file a claim for an exemption from military service if they receive an order to report for examination or induction.

this next quote is from 2005. the current pdf link from the form this quote mentions is this one: https://www.sss.gov/Portals/0/PDFs/SIL.pdf?ver=2015-02-24-150707-763 note that you must be 26 or older to fill out this particular form.

(you might want to call the place up 1-888-655-1825.) therefore, Before you get your birth certificate changed, you must get the official copy with the incorrect gender marker & deadname before you change it (in order to prove that you had the wrong classification at birth). this is in order to give them a copy. i recommend getting like at least 3 notarized copies, because these copies will have to last your entire lifetime! (and we move around, have accidents happen, sometimes we don’t get them back etc.)

FOR INDIVIDUALS ASSIGNED FEMALE AT BIRTH

People who were assigned female at birth are not required to register with the Selective Service regardless of their current gender or transition status. When applying for federal financial aid, grants, and loans as a man, however, you may be asked to prove that you are exempt. To request a Status Information Letter (SIL) that shows you are exempt, you can either download an SIL request form from the Selective Service website (http://www.sss.gov/PDFs/SilForm_Instructions.pdf) or call them at 1-888-655-1825. This service is free and the exemption letter you will receive does not specify why you are exempt so it will not force you to out yourself in any other application process. The Selective Service does, however, require a copy of your birth certificate showing your birth-assigned sex. If the sex on your birth certificate has been changed, attach any documentation you have to that affect. Once you receive your Status Information Letter, keep it in your files. For those FTM people who transition before their eighteenth birthdays and change their birth certificates, it is also possible to register with the service. However, no one may register after their twenty-sixth birthday. Also, please note that although Selective Service materials refer to transgender people as “people who have had a sex change,” their policies apply to those who have transitioned regardless of surgical history.

there’s also this information from the how to register part when you’re between 18-25. i selected a very helpful means.

https://www.sss.gov/Registration/How-to-Register

CHECK BOX ON FAFSAAnother way a young man can register is to check a box on the application form for federal student financial aid (FAFSA). A man can check “Register Me” on Box #22 of that form, and the Department of Education will furnish Selective Service with the information to register the man.

it’s also unclear on whether legally designated women can voluntarily sign up for the draft or if they are going to be compelled to do so in the future because gender-neutrality. however the trend seems to be in that direction.

https://www.sss.gov/Registration/Women-And-Draft/Backgrounder-Women-and-the-Draft

https://www.sss.gov/Registration/Women-And-Draft

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/02/26/no-women-dont-have-sign-draft-yet-heres-whats-next.html

TLDR: figure out how you can register for the draft so you won’t lose federal funding for college.

reasons to start transitioning before you graduate:

i would suggest that it would help your professional networking if you were able to present who you are (which coincidentally) is a guy instead of having to retcon your time there by getting a court order to correct your name & gender marker after your classmates & teachers went their separate ways.

also if you get flack over guys having sexist advantages, i would just mention that while you are trying to weed-out transphobic employers that transgender people are discriminated against, etc too. basically transphobia exists & therefore you still suffer from sexism.

it would also help to complete school. the distress might be so strong that you drop out before you get a diploma/credential which will make student loan debt much harder to pay off. if you could get your gender dysphoria/distress/issues dealt with. it could also help with getting a job when you’ve already went thru the 2nd puberty/adulting into manhood when you’re not on the clock. (seriously, hormones during puberty is basically a rollercoaster that teens tend to experience. therefore you have to take that into account when you’re deciding when to transition.)

regarding legal paperwork here’s the information for changing your name & gender marker by state & it’s also commonly easier to change your driver’s license or your state ID than it is to change your birth certificate (which is fixed to the state that you were born in AKA you can’t just move to a place with better laws). (i’m sorry for the usa-centricism.):

https://transequality.org/documents

https://transequality.org/know-your-rights/social-security

also note that you need to make sure that your social security paperwork is also corrected when you get the changes as well.

good luck, peace & love,

eve

#resources #the draft #usa centric #selective service

10 notes · View notes