The T-Files

In one of the American Civil Liberty Union’s better battles they assisted Michael Bijon (formally Buday) in taking his wife’s family name.   

The effort began three years ago when Michael Buday and Diana Bijon were married in
California.  It would have cost about $50-$90 for Ms. Bijon to change her name—considerably more for Mr. Buday.  According to KNBC TV, Los Angles, “[F]or Buday to make the change to Bijon, he would have had to pay court fees of more than $300, advertise his plans in newspaper for four weeks and get judicial approval.”  After a three year court battle, the ACLU and Mr. Buday—I mean Mr. Bijon–won.   

According to Mark Rosenbaum, legal director for the ACLU of Southern California, “
California now has a marriage license for the 21st century, not the 15th century.”   

Six other states also allow married couples and registered domestic partnerships: Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York and
North Dakota.