BC’s Limits on Name Changes Hurt the Vulnerable, Advocates Say – The Tyee

November 13, 2024

Limiting access could harm Indigenous people, LGBTQ2S+ people and victims of gender-based violence, critics argue.

When the B.C. government announced changes to the Name Act in May, it said they would improve public safety.

But organizations representing Indigenous people, LGBTQ2S+ people, survivors of gender-based violence and sex workers say the changes harm vulnerable populations who require legal name changes for their own safety and well-being.

The amendments to the Name Act ban legal name changes for people convicted of specific crimes or deemed dangerous offenders or long-term offenders.

Those found not criminally responsible for reasons of a mental disorder or who were a minor at the time but charged as an adult will also be prevented from legally changing their names.