DMV Humiliates Lesbian Couple Over Name Change

A newlywed couple went to a Florida DMV to get their names changed on their drivers’ licenses. But because theirs was an out-of-state marriage from Connecticut, they say they were “humiliated” and ultimately denied.

Rachel and Charlotte Lambert-Jolley tell WTSP Saint Petersburg that when they called their local DMV, they were told there’d be no problem getting their name change on their licenses — even though they made it clear they were a same-sex couple who had been married out of state. And when they brought their marriage license to the DMV, the first employee they talked to said everything would be fine. But then, after an hour’s wait, a second employee told them they wouldn’t be able to change their names, because their marriage wasn’t recognized in Florida. And to make matters worse, they say they became the center of attention. Says Charlotte, “You are five feet away from the people in the DMV and everyone starts whispering and talking. It was uncomfortable.”

DMV spokesperson Ann Howard says same-sex couples need extra documents change their names, and she’s not sure why anyone would’ve told the Lambert-Jolleys otherwise. She speculates that maybe they didn’t specify over the phone that they were a same-sex couple — but they swear they did. And they blame the DMV for singling out and embarrassing them: says Charlotte, “People shouldn’t be put in the position to feel how we felt.” They are right — there’s no reason why a gay couple should have to jump through extra hoops to change their names. But there’s also no reason why a gay couple can’t get married in Florida, and until they can, bullshit like what the Lambert-Jolleys went through is bound to keep happening.