Target: Iceland Minister of the Interior Ogmundur Jonasson
Goal: Allow teenager to legally use her given name Blaer
A teenage girl in Iceland is legally named “Stulka”, which translates to “girl”, as her given name is forbidden by the government. Blaer Eidsdottir has fought to change her legal name, but has not been granted permission. The Icelandic government has an approved list of names, but ‘Blaer’ is not on this list. Blaer’s mother was unaware the name was not approved, which means the teenager is stuck without a legal name as she fights for her given name.
The name “Blaer” is an Icelandic name that translates to “light breeze”. According to the government, it is not approved as a female name because it takes a masculine article. However, Blaer was the name of a female character in a novel by a popular Icelandic author, and the name has been granted permission in the past. There was no reason for Blaer’s mother to know the name was not approved. The priest who baptized Blaer and should have known of the approved names mistakenly allowed her name.
The register of approved names was created to avoid embarrassment for people who would otherwise be stuck with names considered humiliating or demeaning. However, most children who are given unapproved names have the name changed before it is entered onto legal documents. Blaer’s case is different because of the mistake of her mother and the priest. Because of this mistake, she was not saved from a humiliating name, but instead given an even more demeaning name of “girl”. Tell the Icelandic government that Blaer deserves to use her given name.
Dear Minister Jonasson,
A teenage girl in Iceland is forbidden to use her given name, Blaer. Instead, she is known on all legal documents as “Stulka”, or “girl”. Her name is forbidden because it takes a masculine article, despite the name having been permitted for girls in the past. Her mother and the priest who baptized her made a mistake in allowing her to take the unapproved name Blaer. She is now unable to use her given name because of this mistake.
I ask you to allow Blaer to use her given name. Her current legal name is a placeholder designation. The register of names was designed to prevent children from having humiliating or demeaning names. However, Blaer’s legal name is more demeaning than her given name. She should not have to keep the name “girl”while she has a true given name.
[Your Name Here]