By Simply Good Form Inc.
Published October 2025
This year, we continued our mission to make legal gender affirmation accessible, empowering, and rooted in community care.
Through the Name and Gender Marker Change Program, which was funded by the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, we provided support to 59 transgender individuals. This included non-binary and gender-diverse Nova Scotians. We assisted them in navigating the complex process of legally affirming their identities.
For many, this process can be overwhelming. It is filled with conflicting information and unfamiliar paperwork. There is also anxiety around accessing police or government services. Our clinics were designed to remove those barriers and replace them with something better: affirmation, safety, and connection.
Two Clinics, One Community
Our first clinic took place in December 2024 at The Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax. It was a “one-stop” experience. Participants could complete everything from fingerprinting forms to notarizations. Volunteer lawyers from Dalhousie Legal Aid provided assistance. With our team’s guidance, more than 30 participants registered to complete their legal name and gender marker change applications.
Then, a snowstorm hit.
We did not allow it to stall the project. Instead, we adapted by hosting a second clinic during Halifax PRIDE 2025 at The Pink Piano Café & Lounge in Lower Sackville. This is a queer-owned and operated space. This location helped us reach participants from outside Halifax and build trust across a wider community. Together, these two events became not just services, but spaces of belonging.
Connection Beyond Paperwork
Every participant’s experience mattered.
One parent wrote,
“Without it, we would still be sitting with unfinished paperwork. Thank you.”
Throughout the program, our team offered not just administrative help but accompaniment and emotional support.
- 5 participants were personally accompanied to the Halifax Regional Police for fingerprinting.
- Delivery to, and follow-up with Vital Statistics.
- 12 participants received follow-up or virtual support to complete their applications.
- Participants in need, received financial assistance to cover government fees and notarizations.
Behind each number is a person who felt seen, supported, and empowered to take a step that can be life-changing.
Challenges That Strengthened Our Impact
The journey wasn’t without its challenges — and each one helped us grow stronger as a team and community partner.
1. Navigating a Shifting Climate of Fear and Misinformation
During intake, we noticed a rise in participants’ anxiety. Their anxiety is shaped by increasing anti-trans rhetoric in U.S. politics and media coverage. To provide greater reassurance, our team prioritized personalized communication. Joss reached out to participants individually. This helped answer questions and ease concerns.
We also met twice with the Halifax Regional Police Diversity Constable to coordinate fingerprinting logistics. Trust-building is an ongoing process, and we continued to clarify barriers and advocate for smoother processing for future clinics.
Afterward, we followed up with both our HRP diversity contact and Vital Statistics. Their internal system changes caused unexpected form delays. This occurred during a concurrent mail strike. These added complications required extra communication hours, but ultimately help ensure participants’ applications are processed correctly.
2. Adapting to Weather and Accessibility Barriers
When the December snowstorm disrupted attendance, we quickly adapted. We pivoted to deliver the PRIDE clinic. This transformed a setback into an opportunity. Hosting the second event outside Halifax, in a queer-owned space, deepened community connection. It also improved accessibility. Volunteers and staff worked tirelessly. They made the experience inclusive and supportive for all.
The Ripple Effect of Belonging
The impact of these clinics extended beyond paperwork.
Participants reported reduced stress and anxiety, greater confidence navigating public institutions, and a profound sense of relief in being recognized as themselves.
“Coming to a place like this that helps you makes us feel seen and heard… I was almost in tears several times, just because I felt so validated.” – Rain
“Simply good form was a HUGE help in getting my name change done. I had already done most of the form but couldn’t afford to submit it. They helped me out immensely in a stressful time in my life! They answered tons of my questions and some particularly difficult ones too. It was hugely impactful in my life!”
– AF
By partnering with local allies, leveraging volunteer expertise, and centering trauma-informed care, we turned what could have been a bureaucratic process into a moment of empowerment, healing, and community pride.
By the Numbers
59 people across both clinics
33 legal name/gender marker changes completed
23 participants funded for government fees
5 fingerprinting peer accompaniments
15+ volunteers
225+ in-kind hours
Looking Ahead
Each clinic, conversation, and connection moves us closer to the future. In this future, every person can navigate the world affirmed, supported, and seen.
If you or someone you love is navigating a name change, check out our free pathway of support. To learn more or support our ongoing work, visit simplygoodform.com.
“My name change has been something huge and scary on my plate for almost four years. Even by gathering information shared amongst my community it always seemed liked a mountainous task. I heard about a clinic happening on a day I had off from work so when I went and was taken care of so well I was overjoyed. I didn’t have all of my items collected but was still helped through the entire process and was made to feel so safe and cared for. I felt like any answers I didn’t know or were nervous about were fully answered. The clinic was well organized and everything was well communicated to me. Hoping to have my documents through the mail once the postal strike finishes soon!”
Louis Change Holman
