Something is up with my Mac. The little charging light isn't coming on on my plug all the time. So I'm running on battery power at the moment. But this comes and goes -- sometimes it works, but once it felt like the whole surface of the computer was slightly electrified. FUN. Oi.
That was horrifying. There was an ant on redstapler just now. ANT IN THE AIR.
Thought on Ianto-related matters from Gally I forgot to mention: I am uncomfortable when people apply queer litmus tests to people, whether they be real or fictional. The only person Ianto Jones's sexuality represented was Ianto Jones's. I know some people really hate the "It's not men, it's Jack" line, and that's fine. But to me it was in keeping with the character and represents a valid individual sexuality, whether it was one he was moving through towards a stronger queer identity or because Ianto's just wired that way (i.e., mostly straight and always obsessive).
I got married in Quebec, where woman are actually banned from changing their names when they get married. I'm not sure if 'banned' is the right word... basically, we just can't do it. All Quebec women legally retain their own name when married.
That's actually really interesting. Why is that? Do you know how far that dates back, or if that's always been the law? They can't even apply for a name change petition? And if that's the case, whose name do children get?
Quebec law is civil law, the same as in France, where traditionally women used their husbands name informally but retained their legal birth name. It's not outright illegal, but there is simply no place on a marriage license to legally change your name, so newlyweds have to go through the same process to change their name. However, since civil law is very strict about names, there are very few acceptable reasons to change your name.* Since 1981, they changed the law to specify the reasons: one of them IS if you regularly use a name that is not the one on your birth certificate, but you can't do that right away, you actually have to prove you, say, live and work under it daily for a while.
That said, marriage is not nearly as ubiquitous in Quebec as it is elsewhere. Many couples are common-law, especially in the younger population, and since the Quiet Revolution in the 1970's, anything associated with the Catholic Church has a negative reputation.
Children get the name you put on their birth certificate. :) I'm pretty sure you can write down whatever you want, no matter where you are in North America. Doesn't have to be anyone's last name!
*As a result, I know some Quebec couples who get married in other provinces in order to do this.
Interesting. From everything I know about Canada (which admittedly isn't much), it is socially more progressive than the US, but I've never heard of a law either way stating you have to change or can't change your name at marriage in either country, state, or province. I do have a few friends in the UK who have told me that they (as minors) had to change their names when their mothers remarried, and their children's names were changed when their exes remarried, which I think is horrible, but I don't know if that's still correct or I understood them completely...maybe that was a personal preference of the mothers.
Well, marriage law is a provincial act here, as it is a state act in the US (which is one of the reasons why the US federal government says they don't want to get into the debate).
And honestly, it's not "you can't change your name". It's that everywhere else we've got the custom that a marriage license has a built-in name-change form (now take a look at where that's available for both men and women - that's a little more variable!), and Quebec (and France) don't.
Gotcha. So you just apply for it like you would any other name change, which I assume costs money. I believe here name change is free if it's due to marriage but there's a fee if not. Since I've never had cause to try to change my name, I can't be certain.
Ha, yeah, I'm actually in the middle of a discussion on Facebook about the link (because after saying I can't read it due to the rage I'm sure it would induce of course that's exactly what I went and did), talking about how ever since I realized it was an option I never planned on changing my name at marriage (not that marriage seems to be in the cards for me now). I think part of that was because I was an only child until I was 10, and at that time I didn't want our name to die out--my much younger siblings and I are the last of our line at least up to our great-grandfather, that I know of--but then it became an issue of this name is WHO I AM and eventually an understanding of the history and property implications of taking a man's name.
From what I understand, the law was passed in 1981 in order to promote the gender equality ideals outlined in the Quebec Charter of Rights. If a woman does wish to change her name she must apply to the register of civil status, but even then her application is not guaranteed to be approved. I do have friends who wanted their name changed due to marriage and they were told not to bother applying because the reason for wanting the name change (marriage) was not considered sufficient. Name changes are granted for people undergoing gender reassignment, people who were giving ‘unfortunate’ names by their parents, ect…
Many women use their husband’s name socially though, but no one ever assumes a woman’s name is her husband’s.
I find that Quebec has always tried to be as equal as possible. Gay civil unions were legalized in 2002 and in 2004 the law was changed to legalize gay marriage.
The majority of children are traditionally given the father’s name, but many are given hyphenated names of both parents. Still, there’s no law insisted that either of those options be applied. You can give your children the mother’s name, a combination name (mother-Smith, father-Jones, child-Smones), or a different name entirely.
Yeah, I guess I meant traditionally what happens with children. Growing up I remember once asking my mother why she still had my father's name (they divorced when I was two) and she said it was because she didn't want people thinking I was illegitimate, so down here (the south) a child usually has the father's name if the parents are married and the mother's name if they aren't.
Matrilineal trees make more sense in terms of certainty of parentage, but I know how history panned out. *shrug*
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-02 12:38 am (UTC)That's actually really interesting. Why is that? Do you know how far that dates back, or if that's always been the law? They can't even apply for a name change petition? And if that's the case, whose name do children get?
no subject
Date: 2010-03-02 01:53 am (UTC)That said, marriage is not nearly as ubiquitous in Quebec as it is elsewhere. Many couples are common-law, especially in the younger population, and since the Quiet Revolution in the 1970's, anything associated with the Catholic Church has a negative reputation.
Children get the name you put on their birth certificate. :) I'm pretty sure you can write down whatever you want, no matter where you are in North America. Doesn't have to be anyone's last name!
*As a result, I know some Quebec couples who get married in other provinces in order to do this.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-02 02:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-02 02:23 am (UTC)And honestly, it's not "you can't change your name". It's that everywhere else we've got the custom that a marriage license has a built-in name-change form (now take a look at where that's available for both men and women - that's a little more variable!), and Quebec (and France) don't.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-02 02:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-02 02:33 am (UTC)I've never had to (and never will ;)) but I live next to Quebec and have had friends choose to get married in Ontario in order to change their name.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-02 02:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-02 02:05 am (UTC)From what I understand, the law was passed in 1981 in order to promote the gender equality ideals outlined in the Quebec Charter of Rights. If a woman does wish to change her name she must apply to the register of civil status, but even then her application is not guaranteed to be approved. I do have friends who wanted their name changed due to marriage and they were told not to bother applying because the reason for wanting the name change (marriage) was not considered sufficient. Name changes are granted for people undergoing gender reassignment, people who were giving ‘unfortunate’ names by their parents, ect…
Many women use their husband’s name socially though, but no one ever assumes a woman’s name is her husband’s.
I find that Quebec has always tried to be as equal as possible. Gay civil unions were legalized in 2002 and in 2004 the law was changed to legalize gay marriage.
The majority of children are traditionally given the father’s name, but many are given hyphenated names of both parents. Still, there’s no law insisted that either of those options be applied. You can give your children the mother’s name, a combination name (mother-Smith, father-Jones, child-Smones), or a different name entirely.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-02 02:25 am (UTC)Matrilineal trees make more sense in terms of certainty of parentage, but I know how history panned out. *shrug*