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Estranged Mom Has My Birth Certificate

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I’m in Oregon, and AFAIK so is my mom. My birth certificate is from Washington.

My mom and I have been estranged since 2021, while I was still in undergrad. I tried and failed to re-establish a relationship in 2023.

During our short series of correspondences in 2023, she offered for me to pick up my birth certificate and other important documents, but stated that she wasn’t sure about other less essential items (e.g., home videos and photo albums, stuff I made as a kid, etc.). I told her that yes, I would like to pick up my things. I think she misunderstood and interpreted that to refer to the personal things, and said that she had not offered to give those to me. I didn’t attempt to clarify, because, frankly, every instance of communication with her took a deep emotional toll on me. Shortly thereafter I went no-contact again.

I think my question is twofold. First, how important is it that I get my birth certificate? Second, what is my recourse in getting it from her if I decide that it’s necessary? There are some potentially relevant additional pieces of information:
* I have an official copy that has sufficed for my driver’s license, etc.
* I am trans (mtf) and considering legally changing my name at some point down the line.

submitted by /u/flyingbarnswallow
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