OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals says a man who has completed a sex
change should be allowed to change his name as well, rejecting the idea
that men should have men's names and women should have women's names.
The three-judge panel said
Tuesday that Steven Charles Harvey was not attempting to deceive anyone
by asking to be known as Christie Ann Harvey. Oklahoma County District
Judge Bill Graves had ruled against Harvey, noting that
gender-reassignment surgery didn't change Harvey's DNA.
The panel said Graves
committed a "clear error" by rejecting the name change. In the unanimous
ruling, it said the law does not require people to have gender-specific
names and said there are several names that are traditionally used by
both men and women.
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