March 27, 2008 | Sex & Society

Passport denied!

A legally married gay man is not finding much support for his union from the US State Department. Jason Hair-Wynn, an American AIDS activist who got married in Massachusetts, was denied a new passport because his hyphenated surname with his married gay partner is illegal.

The federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) does not allow the US State Department to recognize the new name as only heterosexual marriages are considered legal. This in spite of the fact he has successfully changed his name on both his driver's license and his social security documents.

Hair-Wynn plans to change his name back and then reapply. Because heaven forbid we make it easy for him to provide AIDS education in Ghana this summer.