Gay couples consider options for name changes

Courts are filling up as more gay and lesbian couples request name changes, even if they can't legally marry.

Although not legally united, many gay partners still live as married couples. They share a home, accounts, have children, hold ceremonies, and change their legal names to solidify their coupling.

Before You Move In Together

For heterosexual couples, taking a husband's name or hyphenating is just a matter of paperwork. All that's needed is a marriage certificate. Yet, for gay and lesbian couples, each partner has to request a legal name change individually, which isn't always an easy task logistically or emotionally.

It's All In A Name
Even if a couple shares in hyphenated goodness, a name is just a name and doesn't mean you're legally married. In other words, you'll get no more rights than you had before as a couple. The good news is, taking each others' name is a symbolically cool way to cement your partnership.

Passing Strange
Traveling any time soon? Keep in mind that because the federal government doesn't recognize same-sex unions, your passport will list both your given name and a "known as" if you've legally changed it.

Changing Faces
Did you know 80 to 95 percent of heterosexual couples marrying for the first time legally change their names? Have you or would you consider changing yours?