Changing your name is a relatively simple process, experts told a crowd at Kent State University.
However, Portage is one of 11 counties in Ohio where residents can’t change the gender marker on their birth certificate, they said.
Chris Sestak, an attorney with Student Legal Services at Kent State University, and Heather Gyekenyesi, a magistrate and administrator at the Portage County Probate Court, addressed legal name changes on Tuesday at a Name Change Clinic held at Kent State.
Kent State University’s LGBTQ+ Center hosted the clinic, which was moved to a larger room within the Student Center because of the expected crowd. Ken Ditlevson, director of the center, said a social media post about the event had been shared more than 250 times, and the originally announced room holds only a little more than two dozen people. At least 50 people were in attendance.
The center also is promoting a virtual Ohio Name Change Legal Clinic to those who missed the KSU event, or those who are not current KSU students. TransOhio and Equitas Help, with support from local community groups, will host confidential virtual discussions with trained volunteer attorneys.