The (other) marriage penalty
Last year, Megan and Amy got legally married in Massachusetts. As married couples sometimes do, they changed their names. All the documentation they needed was easily obtained, including new Social Security cards. All was easy, that is, until they tried to get new passports.
That’s when the newlyweds discovered the new marriage penalty. Citing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, the Passport Office will not accept a marriage certificate as proof of name change if the applicants are in a same-sex union. (This would have been sufficient evidence if one of them–and only one of them–were a man.)
Cost to Megan and Amy in additional fees paid to courts and government agencies? $283.
I’ve also heard it referred to as “The Gay Tax.”
Another passport example… my partner adopted the children I birthed and the state of PA issued new birth certificates with both of our names. It seemed a little strange to me - I would’ve thought birth certificate indicated biology not legal guardianship. But whatever - we were just thrilled PA Supreme Court made it possible. And it wasn’t a problem until we went to get passports. The website tells you to bring birth certificates and both parents. Kindof a pain but makes sense to avoid “those people” whisking kids out of the country. But it turns out the passport agent didn’t like our birth certificate and wanted us to go home, get Beth’s adoption papers and come back to wait in the interminable line again. It didn’t cost us money but it did waste a lot of time and made us very angry that “our” birth certificate wasn’t good enough.