AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Some homosexuals have been denied a Texas driver’s license because they took their same-sex spouse’s name and the Department of Public Safety won’t recognize documents reflecting the name change.
DPS won’t accept out-of-state marriage licenses or other documents reflecting the change. The Dallas Morning News reports (http://bit.ly/YepRrg ) virtually the only way DPS will issue a driver’s license is to provide a Texas court order approving a name change or a U.S. passport with the new surname.
DPS spokesman Tom Vinger says the agency must adhere to a 2005 amendment to the state constitution barring recognition of same-sex marriage.
But the DPS rules also highlight how Texas has resisted a growing acceptance of gay marriage found elsewhere in the U.S.
