To Whom it May Concern, February 21, 2012 I am enclosing this letter along with my application to explain my situation as to why I chose to make an application for a name change despite the fact that I don’t fit one of the criteria. I am a transgendered person (FTM) and over the past several years, I have undergone hormone therapy to complete my transition as a man and unofficially started going by a male name. Last year I went away to study in Germany. Part of the reason I chose to go overseas was that it made my transition a bit easier by putting some distance between me and my friends and family who knew me as their daughter, sister or female friend named Angela or “Angie.” Although I am a Canadian citizen, born and raised in Ontario, I have not been living in the province over the past 12 months because of my studies in Germany. I looked into the process of changing my name in Ontario while visiting family and friends and phoned Service Ontario only to be told I am ineligible because I have been out of the province for the past 12 months. Since I am not a permanent resident or citizen of Germany and am merely there on a study permit, I also do not have the right to change my name in Germany. Now I find myself caught in between the bureaucratic systems of the two countries, unable to get my name changed in either country. Time is becoming crucial for me to get my name change approved since the hormones have changed a lot of my physical characteristics such as facial hair and deepening of the voice and I am being perceived as male now. Because of the incongruity between my physical appearance and my given name, I face discrimination and harassing questioning on a regular basis: every time I look for a job, register for a course, make a doctor’s appointment, go through airport security… My inability to find employment and the resulting poverty has had serious effects on my mental health. For these reasons, I am urgently in need of a legal name change. As a Canadian citizen and a long-term Ontario resident who plans to return to the province after my studies, I am asking you to consider making an exception and in doing so, contributing to the well-being of transgender people in Ontario by helping one transgender individual. This means a lot to me, but it means even more to the transgender community as a whole as you will see by the number of people who signed this letter. Thank you for reading this. Sincerely, Angela (Skyler) Foster