Two women marry, legally, in California. One spouse takes the other's name, automatically, legally, no fuss, no muss. The change of name was recorded on her California drivers license and on her US social security card.
But, on moving to Texas, she finds she cannot get a Texas drivers license because, well, her birth certificate has her birth name on it and, by golly, all those social security and previous drivers license cards don't count for ID because that would mean Texas was "recognizing" one of those evil gay "marriage" things.
Unless she wants to spend $500 and bring it before a judge and hope that said judge thinks her desire to change her name is legit, and isn't somehow part of some Evil Un-Biblical Gay Plot.
Dear Texas: recognizing the name that someone brings to your state, as previously established by the federal government and the state that she formerly resided in, is not somehow going to cover you with gay cooties, let alone represent your moral approval of two women being legally wed. But failing to recognize it will probably be a great way of getting your current state constitutional amendment struck down.
Originally shared by +Kee Hinckley:
Texas is refusing to recognize name changes due to same-sex marriages.
An out-of-state marriage certificate isn't considered sufficient ID.You can go spend $500 and see if a judge will agree to change your last name from Smith to Smith, but you can't just show them the marriage certificate they accept for all other couples.
I don't see any way that's going to stand up in court. If a California citizen legally changed their name in California, then I've got to believe Texas has to recognize the name change. But they'll fight it all the way I'm sure.
Texas Woman Denied Driver’s License over Same-Sex Marriage
Connie Wilson says the Texas Department of Public Safety refused her a driver’s license because her last name was changed through a same-sex marriage.
I think the biggest question here is, "Who the hell moves to Texas willingly?!?"
Well, I hear that there are a lot of jobs there. If you don't mind deregulated industries. (But highly regulated DMVs.)
Metta World Peace played for the Houston Rockets, but he was still using his birth name of Ron Artest at the time. I don't know what he'd do if he left China and went to play for a Texas team.
And it's not entirely accurate to say that industry in Texas is deregulated. I still remember that there was a very long time during which United Parcel Service was prohibited from making intrastate deliveries within Texas. http://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/10/us/united-parcel-hoping-to-win-its-fight-to-operate-in-texas.html
And Texas is one of the states where Tesla can't establish dealerships – although the state would be ecstatic if Tesla manufactured cars there. From March:
"Lawmakers in two states where Tesla can’t sell its cars are hoping the company will bring them thousands of jobs anyway.
"Texas and Arizona are each competing to be the future home of a new lithium-ion battery factory that Tesla estimates could create 6,500 jobs. These states are business-friendly, their representatives claim.
"But neither state has been very friendly to Tesla: Both say Tesla can't sell cars there without using independent car dealers….
"“The issue of where we do business is in some ways inextricably linked to where we sell our cars,” Diarmuid O’Connell, Tesla’s vice president for business development, told Bloomberg earlier this month. “If Texas wants to reconsider its position on Tesla selling directly in Texas, it certainly couldn’t hurt.”"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/19/tesla-sales-ban_n_4992758.html
Ah. I should have said "deregulated (when it comes to health, safety, and work conditions) industries." Deregulation when it comes to alarming other existing and well-connected industry groups (say, the Federated Car Dealers of Greater Texas PAC) — well, that's just crazy talk.