Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in New York

Name Change for Same-Sex Couples

After extended legal battles and an appeal, a lesbian couple in Ohio was finally granted a name change in 2002. They wanted to combine letters of their original surnames to form a shared surname to pass on to their future children.

My question is: Can same-sex couples in New York easily change or combine their original surnames without making headlines?


Asked on 10/13/03, 10:18 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Stephen Loeb Law Office of Stephen R. Loeb

Re: Name Change for Same-Sex Couples

2 separate questions: Can they easily do it? Probably. Name changes in New York are not difficult to accomplish provided they are not being done for an illegal or fraudulent purpose.

Can it be done without making headlines? Maybe, maybe not. It's a rare enough circumstance that if even one media outlet found out about it and picked it up, it would probably be of interest to multiple media. All it takes is one person to inform one person in a position to create publicity.

Should you like to discuss this or any other legal matter, you can call my office to schedule an appointment for a consultation or in the alternative, I can be reached for on-phone low-cost legal consultation at 1-800-275-5336 x0233699.

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Answered on 10/14/03, 9:43 am


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