Advertisement State tells same-sex bride she can't take her wife's name in Florida Same-sex marriage not legally recognized in Florida Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Like many new brides, Sarah Parr couldn't wait to take her spouse's last name.She couldn't wait to be Sarah Malega.MOBILE/TABLET USERS: Watch The VideoHowever, when Parr went to change her name on her driver's license, she was sent away and told her marriage certificate is invalid.That's because Parr's marriage is a same-sex marriage, not recognized in the state of Florida.Parr married Dawn Malega in California last December. Shortly after, she changed her name with the federal government, getting a new Social Security card with her new name.Yet, when she took the card and her marriage certificate to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Lantana, they told her the name change would not be allowed."It was devastating," she said. "It was the first time I felt discriminated and I've been out since I was 18."Officials at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in Tallahassee said the clerk did the right thing. They said state law requires a legal document to change your name on your license, something Parr did not have."A same -sex marriage certificate is not a legally recognized valid document in the state of Florida," said Leslie Palmer, communications director for FDHSMV."It was almost like we were third-class citizens," Parr said. "Like we snuck into the country and I'm trying to steal somebody's ID.""There are so many states you can get married in now," said Parr's wife, Dawn Malega. "Are you supposed to get an out-of-state driver's license so you can have the same last name?"Parr didn't do that. Instead, she just went to a different license center where they didn't ask if her marriage certificate was for a same-sex marriage. That center allowed her to change her name. Sarah Parr became Sarah Malega.State officials said if the clerk doesn't know if the certificate is for a same-sex marriage, you could then get away with changing your name.The Malegas don't like that Sarah had to keep her spouse's gender secret in order to do something other wives do every day."She should be able to change her last name," Dawn Malega said. "It's not hurting anybody."