Lowell Deeds

For several years this registry has served as a passport application intake station. Recently, a few of us attended a training seminar held at the Boston passport office. The class was well-run, professional, and covered all the substantive rules. One thing that struck me as odd was the treatment of same gender couples who marry and assume the same name. Because passports are issued by the Federal government, the US Defense of Marriage Act would not recognize a name change based on a same gender marriage. Today’s Globe, however, reports that the Federal government has now modified that rule and will allow the issuance of passports in the married name based on a marriage that is recognized in the state in which the marriage occurred.