Straight man told not to change his surname after he got married in case people thought he was gay
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A heterosexual man has spoken out about how he was warned by his boss not to change his surname because people would assume he was gay.
Property manager Wayne Harding revealed that after getting married his boss warned him about changing his name just in case people thought he was married to a man.
As part of a BBC feature on straight men who had taken their wives’ surnames after marriage, Wayne Harding spoke to the news organisation about his experience.
Harding married his wife Debbie in 2016 and called the decision to change his name from Nell to his wife’s a ‘no-brainer’ as he wanted to share a surname with his stepdaughter.
However, changing his name at work proved to be slightly more difficult.
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Harding said how his boss was irritated for not discussing his name change with him first, claiming that it could cause issues for the business.
He said: “When one of my bosses discovered I had changed my name he said I should have consulted him first because it could cause repercussions for the business and its clients.
“He said people would assume I was in a same-sex marriage and that I would need to make it clear in my email signature that I had married a woman.
“It was offensive and I felt like he had singled me out,” Harding continued.
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He then said how his boss alleged that complaints had been made about him and his new surname, and still does not accept his new surname.
Harding explained: “Apparently they had complaints – although nobody ever said anything to me directly. Eventually, the HR manager told me to take that explanation out of my email signature because it was unnecessary.
“My boss still refuses to accept my new name and insists on using my maiden name instead.”
Related: Ask the Lawyer: Should we get a civil partnership or a marriage?
During Australia’s postal vote on same-sex marriage, a Church cancelled the wedding of a straight couple’s because bride supported equal marriage.
According to the Brisbane Times, church minister Steve North made the decision after seeing the Bride had posted a message on Facebook in support of same-sex marriage, ahead of a public vote on the issue in Australia.
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Even though the couple is heterosexual, North apparently told the bride that he would not officiate her ceremony or permit the marriage to go ahead in his church.
In a letter to the couple, he wrote: “By continuing to officiate it would appear either that I support your views on same-sex marriage or that I am uncaring about this matter. As you know, neither statement is correct.
A 2017 study brought more bad news for heterosexual couples after a study found that gay and lesbian couples are happier than straight couples.
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After questioning more than 25,000 people in the UK and over 9,000 in Australia, researchers found that gay and lesbian couples are better off.
However, bisexual people suffered from worse relationships, on average, than straight or homosexual people.
The researchers suggested that gay and lesbian couples might have better relationships because they are less concerned about sticking to stereotypical gender roles.
