News
2006-06-29
Married lesbians
can't get passports
No passports for
married lesbians
In a case that
illustrates the difficult place married gay couples can
In a case that
illustrates the difficult place married gay couples can
find themselves when living under a government that doesn't
yet recognize their marriage, a lesbian couple married
in Massachusetts says their efforts to get new
passports have been stymied once again.
Joan and Vicki
Bagnell married two years ago and took a new last name
that now appears on their licenses and Social Security
cards. But in January, as the couple planned a trip to
the Turks and Caicos islands in the West Indies, they
applied for passports and were denied.
Speaking to a
reporter from WCVB TV in Boston, Vicki Bagnell asked
why the federal government was willing
to change the names on their Social Security
cards to their married name if it doesn't recognize
same-sex marriage.
A spokeswoman for
the State Department says that gay married couples can
wait until five years after their name change and then apply
for a new passport; or apply using their old names,
with their new names listed in a special "also known
as" section, which the Bagnels chose to do.
But they are
apparently out of luck. The couple recently received a
letter from the State Department saying their application is
being filed without further action. To add insult to
injury, their fees are nonrefundable, and they must
reapply if they still want to obtain a passport.
(Sirius/OutQ News)
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