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by mkempe 2912 days ago
Can you change your legal name?
1 comments

In terms of solving harassment issues, it wouldn't help. My address and new name will still pop up on the registry.

In terms of getting a job, yes, I could get a name change, but I feel like that would be unethical. If a company wouldn't want to hire me knowing my past, then hiding it from them so they would hire me seems really wrong.

So, disclose it when asked a relevant question, but get a name change anyway. It might be the media directly tied to you that companies are avoiding as much as your past: inevitably, your name will be attached to the company publicly (most likely) and they may not want that kind of 2-step search connection.

I get the ethical concern about hiding something that would be a deal breaker, so don't do that. But also don't create an unnecessary PR issue for a potential employer.

one does what one must. it's wrong-headed for companies to not hire based on an offense that is immaterial to them.