Changing Your Name at Marriage? "That Only Works For Women."

As we have discussed previously on this blog, the decision to change one's name--or not--upon marriage is fraught with a lot of cultural baggage. People have all kinds of good reasons to do so, or not.

However, if you're a man, the state of Florida figures that your reason is fraud. And that makes you a criminal:

Lazaro Dinh was initially issued a new license after presenting his marriage certificate at his local DMV office and paying a $20 fee, just as newly married women are required to do when they adopt their husband's name.

"It was easy. When the government issues you a new passport you figure you're fine," he said.

More than a year later Dinh received a letter from Florida's DMV last December accusing him of "obtaining a driving license by fraud," and advising him that his license would be suspended at the end of the month. Ironically, it was addressed to Lazaro Dinh.

"I thought it was a mistake," he said.

But when he called the state DMV office in Tallahassee he said he was told he had to go to court first in order to change his name legally, a process that takes several months and has a $400 filing fee.

When he explained he was changing his name due to marriage, he was told 'that only works for women,'" he said.

WHISKEY. TANGO. FOXTROT.

I would say more, but my brain is stuck on the "boggle" function.