Post #1720564

2026-03-18 17:18 UTC

@ShadSterling @trisweb @siderea S'true. I hadn't thought of that. While it doesn't make sense to me that someone seeking records of their own name change would be considered "the public," there are any number of ways that could happen.

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@SnarkWasABoojum@tech.lgbt 2026-03-18 23:18

@Fishercat @ShadSterling @trisweb @siderea Massachusetts notary here. The new system is a _vast_ improvement on the old system. They fixed it for trans people, abused spouses, really anyone who wanted to change their name and not have it be obviously visible to anyone who cared to look. Before this was fixed, all name changes (like all court orders) were available to anyone on the Massachusetts court website. You could do a search for all name changes in a given county for the past month and get old name, new name, home address, phone number, email address, and signature for every person who changed their name for any reason. When it was a minor (and yes, minors were searchable as well), you also got their birth date, and name/address/phone/email for both parents.

Open ##1720565