5 ms·
A "real name" policy (which is really just a "legal name" policy) would drive away trans users, which is arguably a major portion of their userbase. I do not u
by ashleyn 9y ago
A "real name" policy (which is really just a "legal name" policy) would drive away trans users, which is arguably a major portion of their userbase.
I do not use Facebook because it is impossible for me to change my legal name due to restrictions of my birth state. What the government insists on calling me is a legal name, it is not my "real name". This is far from exclusively a trans issue: Facebook even harassed Salman Rushdie over it, because that's only his pen name.
- verst 9y agoThanks to you and others for raising the perspectives I never considered. This is why I love HN. When I saw the real name request I only thought to myself -- "this isn't the OKC I know, why would they abandon their quirky usernames... but ok, here is my real name." I never thought about their definition of "real name" or whether noncompliance would result in accounts being banned. I still recall the "real name" discussions when Facebook first adopted that policy. So of course I should have known that this little change could hurt others.
- Godel_unicode 9y ago> due to restrictions of my birth state I was under the impression that the 14th amendment guarantees the right of Americans to change their name, are you saying that this is not the case? In which state(s) is this happening?
- Tomte 9y agoWhy do you assume he is American when you even believe it cannot apply to Americans?
- DanBC 9y ago> Facebook even harassed Salman Rushdie over it, because that's only his pen name. That's a big misunderstanding from Facebook. In the UK you don't have a legal name. Your name is whatever you wish it to be. You can use whatever name you like, so long as you're not doing it with the intent to defraud.
- poizan42 9y agoCan you just get a passport with whatever name you want? If not then you clearly do have a legal name.
- DanBC 9y agoYes, you can get a passport in any name. Passports might require a deed poll - but that's just a piece of paper with a solemn declaration that you no longer use the old name. Salman Rushdie would be able to get a passport in either his pen name, or his other name.
- nofilter 9y agoI think that's pretty awesome. In Estonia, you can only change your first name (and even that with that quite a few restrictions and a lot of hassle with the government paper work), but you can only change your last name to be one of your close relatives's last name (mom, dad, grandmothers, grandfathers).