I haven’t updated any of my documents yet, and I saw that the disgusting bill that’s pending in Indiana would make it impossible for trans people to change their gender marker. Although there has been an executive order stopping the department of health from processing court-ordered name changes there for the past year. I don’t think Indiana is ever going to do something that would help a trans person…
What are my options? Am I stuck with incorrect or mismatched documents forever?
You need a court ordered name change first, you go to the local court and file a petition to change your name, you have to provide some documentation proving you are who you are, and there is usually a small fee. Then you show up to your court date and the judge might ask some basic questions like whether you’re changing your name to evade lenders or to commit fraud, and as long as you don’t have a criminal record and are changing your name for gender-change reasons, the judge just signs the court order. You get some amount of official signed & notarized copies for free, but I would recommend paying to get extras.
Then once you have that court order, you can use it to update your name elsewhere - like your birth certificate, your driver’s license, your passport, etc. A lot of times they take and keep your court order, which is why I mentioned paying for extra copies.
Each form is different but it’s not that complicated and shouldn’t require assistance. There are plenty of online resources to help you navigate this stuff, e.g. https://transequality.org/resources/name-and-gender-marker-change-101