Sunday, March 30, 2008

Gay Married Man Refused U.S. Passport

hat/tip to Towleroad for this story.

Jason Hair-Wynn, a gay Massachusetts man who married his partner in 2005 and
legally changed his name to add his partner's, must change it back to his old
name, Jason Hair, if he wants a passport says the State Department.

According to the Sun Chronicle, the State Department says the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prohibits them from recognizing his married name: "'We are unable to comply with your request for a name change based on the documentation you sent
because of the Defense of Marriage Act ...,' the letter states. 'In determining
the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or
interpretation of the various administration bureaus and agencies of the United
States, the word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one
woman as husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the
opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.'"

Joe.My.God has also picked up this egregious story.

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