SANTA FE, N.M. (CN) - A man seeking to change his name to "Fuck Censorship!" has the right to call himself whatever he chooses, but he cannot expect the state to officially recognize it, the New Mexico Court of Appeals ruled.
Bernalillo County District Court refused to legally change Nan Nash's name to the vulgarity, saying the proposed name "would be obscene, offensive and would not comport with common decency."
The appellate court upheld that decision, stating that "one has a common law right to assume any name, and a right to engage in social experiment, but one does not have a right to require the state to participate in the experiment."
Additionally, the state has the right to refuse names that are "bizarre, unduly lengthy, ridiculous, or offensive to common decency and good taste," Judge Fry wrote.
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