Magazine Archive
Advocating for Transgender Minors in Probate Guardianships
Oliver: Hi, my name is Oliver Greenwood, I’m your attorney and my pronouns are he/him/they. How would you like to be addressed? Minor client: Ok, boomer. Oliver: Wait, what? Minor client: Why are you being so weird? Oliver: I thought it would be appropriate to introduce myself and see how you would like to be...
Read ArticleTranscending Transgender Language Barriers: Sex vs. Gender
This issue of Contra Costa Lawyer Magazine seeks to enrich our understanding of transgender issues that transcend areas of law and affect the legal community. In so doing, Co-Editor, Marta Vanegas and I had the honor of working with many thoughtful and talented contributors. The articles walk us through transgender issues with respect to the...
Read ArticleOn the Basis of Sex, Gender or Both
About 50 U.S. Supreme Court decisions mention sex and gender in the same sentence or use them interchangeably within the same paragraph. The question arises: is this semantic confusion inherently problematic?
Read ArticleOur Common Humanity
When I received an invitation to submit a piece about my work on transgender legal issues for this edition, some familiar questions crossed my mind. What should I say? What could I say? I’m a transgender person and a superior court judge. The Canons of Judicial Ethics constrain and guide what I can discuss publicly....
Read ArticleWhat’s in a Name?
My name is Sutter Selleck. My name was Summer Selleck. I began my gender transition quietly in May 2019. My preferred pronouns are “they/them,” no longer “she/her,” and, despite my wonderfully-full beard, not “he/him.” I identify as gender non-conforming; quite simply, I don’t feel any more related to one gender or the other. I would...
Read ArticleA Clerk's Perspective
One of the best days I ever had working in the clerk's office involved a Petition for Change of Name and Gender.
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