New Orleans, LA – On August 13, the Real Name Campaign NOLA celebrated a $256 filing fee reduction for name changes. The Orleans Parish Civil District Court dropped the fee from an outrageous $506 to $250 after a year of community pressure.

This marks an important victory for trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people in New Orleans. Incorrect names on IDs out TGNC people, exposing them to discrimination in employment, healthcare, housing and many other aspects of life.

Naming yourself is a fundamental right, so the courts deny our humanity by denying our names.

But trans communities are beautiful, resilient and defiant.

We won this victory after a year of struggle. The Real Name Campaign collected over 1000 signatures, led phone zaps of the judges’ offices, and turned out hundreds in rallies. The judges’ offices often either totally ignored us or even hung up on our phone calls. Yet after a fierce struggle, they finally gave in.

The fight continues: Louisiana and New Orleans still need to drop all restrictions on name and gender marker changes, and the new $250 fee is still too high. We will continue to apply pressure until we win our rights.

But government officials are not as powerful or intimidating as they want us to think they are. When we fight, we win!

#NewOrleansLA #RealNameCampaignNOLA #OrleansParishCivilDistrictCourt #nameChangeFilingFee #transAndGenderNonconformingTGNC