Office of the Registrar
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
3801 West Temple Avenue
Pomona, California 91768

Dear Registrar:

 My name is Olympia Tveter and I am writing to request that my name be changed on the school’s records from Jared Clifford Tveter to Olympia Tveter.

 While growing up in the conservative faith, I experienced a great amount of gender dysphoria, much of which I fought to suppress. I often felt uncomfortable with my body, male roles and the dress codes put upon me as a biological male.

 As I have been a student at Cal Poly Pomona, my personal identity has journeyed much. During my first year here I chose the abandon the religion taught to me as a child. At that time, I also lightly considered changing my name since by birth name is the name of a prophet (who I now believe to be fictitious) in the scriptures of that previous faith. With little to moor my identity, in a free-fall, I had to determine for myself what I believed about myself and about existence generally. Did I want to change my sex now? How do I feel about my body? And, now what -- regarding my gender expression?

 I had studied apparel design during a portion of my undergrad years, and sewn a great amount of gender neutral clothing, but never felt comfortable going public with them because of my religion then. In my graduate studies here, I began wearing the clothes I had made in the past and began exploring more deeply my own gender identity. I enrolled in counseling with the campus Counseling and Psychological Services regarding my getting a sex change and I engaged in hormone therapy for a time. During this, working through the many issues of my past, I did became much more comfortable with my male body, though I still have my days. While attending Cal Poly, my gender identity has evolved to the point of being very androgynous. In this light, at the end of last year I began looking more seriously into changing my name. I wanted something that was jumping the gender boundaries, but that was a strong, courageous name. I choose, Olympia.

 At the dawn of this year I began going by Olympia with my housemates, and then with long time friends and associates, those in my current faith, my professors and classmates, and while at work on the university campus. I have reached the point now where I would like to change it on the school’s records, with the DMV, with the Social Security office, with my banks and lenders. By California Common Law I have the right to do so, without an expensive court order. And thus I make this request of you now.

 This university is the first institution I have asked to change my name on their books. Upon receiving confirmation of its change from you I will proceed to quickly have it changed elsewhere. Also, for the sake of creating a paper trail, I request also a typed letter from you confirming that it has been changed in your records and ask that you allow me to keep my old ID card, along with issuing me a new card, for the sake of further being able to lucidly show a paper trail to other institutions as I approach them regarding this matter.

 At this time, I do not request a change in my gender marker on your records. I would, though, encourage you to adopt an “other,” “neither,” or “gender neutral” category to your bi-gender record system to accommodate transgender people who predominately present themselves as neither or something in the middle.

 Thank you for your help.

Most Sincerely,
 
 
 

Olympia Tveter