After much too long a wait, California men now have the right to take their spouse's name when they marry or enter a domestic partnership.
The Name Equality Act of 2007 was signed in 2007, and finally becomes effective next week. It allows couples who marry or enter a domestic partnership to change either or both last names.
Interestingly enough, this law mandates gender-neutral marriage licenses and domestic partnership certificates, one of the things that Prop. 8 supporters complained about.
I just wish this law had been in place when my husband and I married a few years ago. We wanted to each hyphenate the other's last name to our own, but since the cost and legal hassle for changing his name were so significant, we each opted to just keep our own names instead. I know other couples who have gone through legal and financial hurdles to change names, so this legal change will help couples across the state. Let's also hope that the gender-neutral licenses are a first-step to overturning Prop. 8 and returning marriage equality to California!
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