Kentucky - Campaign for Southern Equality

NOTE: This website provides information about acquiring medical or attorney referrals; it is not medical or legal advice. Moreover, due to the rapidly changing nature of the law and our reliance on information provided by outside sources, we make no warranty or guarantee.

Kentucky State Laws & Guidelines

Know Your Rights

Laws regarding adoption, nondiscrimination protections, hate crimes reporting and much more vary in each Southern state. For information about the policies that affect LGBTQ people in your state, please see these resources from national LGBTQ organizations:

Human Rights Campaign’s state law maps

Lambda Legal’s state law map‍

For more information about state-issued documents in Kentucky, see the National Center for Transgender Equality’s ID Documents Center.

Protect Your Rights

Protect your rights with estate planning tools like health care power of attorney forms. Estate planning makes clear your wishes for treatment during emergencies, at the end of your life, and beyond.

For LGBT people and their families, estate planning is a tool that can be used to secure basic rights that many take for granted. If you haven’t completed these important documents, it’s important to do so as soon as possible, at any age, whether you are single or partnered.

These documents will help you protect your rights and wishes:

Health Care Power of Attorney
Durable Power of Attorney
Will
Hospitable Visitation Form

Learn more about these tools in Life Lines, a publication of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

How to Change Your Name and Gender Marker

Kentucky law about name changes: Kentucky Statute 401.010

What You Need:

Name Change Petition
Social Security Form

Total Estimated Costs: $40.00.

For more information about state-issued documents in Kentucky, see the National Center for Transgender Equality’s ID Documents Center.

Steps:

Fill out the petition and get it notarized.
File your petition with $28.00 at your circuit court in the county where you live.
The clerk will give you a case number for a court hearing and you will be notified whether you must appear in court.
You will either receive a court order for name change in the mail or you will be required to appear in court and receive it at the end of the hearing.
You can pay $3.00 each for additional copies of court order.

*Additional documents may be required: Driver’s license or picture ID, birth certificate or current passport, copies of current bills showing current address.

Don’t Forget: Once your name change has been approved, you will need to update this with several government agencies. This includes changing your name with the Social Security Administration and the Kentucky Department of Motor Vehicles. You must change your name with the DMV within 10 days, but you will need to change your name with Social Security Administration prior to changing it with the DMV. You will need to bring the copy of your name change order along with $12.00 for a corrected license.

gender marker change

Kentucky will change both name and sex, and will issue a new birth certificate rather than amend the old one. You will need an original letter from your SRS surgeon, and an original or certified copy of the court order for your name change. Please note that current interpretation (2005) of Kentucky law requires a notarized letter from your SRS surgeon, which can be difficult if your surgery was performed in the past or in another country.

Office of Vital Statistics
275 East Main Street 1E-A
Frankfort, KY 40621
(502) 564-4212

This document is intended for informational use only, and is in no way intended to constitute legal advice or the opinions of the Campaign for Southern Equality. Because the law is constantly changing, the Campaign for Southern Equality cannot guarantee that this information is accurate and up-to-date. Procedures may vary by county. If you have any questions, please consult a licensed attorney.

More than 500,000 trans folks call the South home. Trans in the South contains lists of trans-friendly service providers – from doctors to attorneys to counselors – across the South. This resource guide helps people find the services they need to survive and thrive.

Learn More

Kentucky State Laws & Guidelines

Know Your Rights

Protect Your Rights

How to Change Your Name and Gender Marker

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