i’m so fucking happy sweden has laws preventing this stuff, names here have to be approved as not causing undue harm to the child
I could see a system like that being used to racist ends in America. “Please select from the pre-approved list of biblical names”
I’m having trouble finding articles about it because search engines have become terrible, but I’ve heard trans people talk about how the Swedish law has been used to transphobic ends (and, yes, racist ones too because common names in immigrant communities weren’t on the list). There’s few gender neutral names on the approved list and getting a gendered name approved for a name change is difficult and leaves the door open for outright transphobia - and legally changing your gender required surgical sterilization in Sweden up until the end of 2012.
this sounds like FUD to me, sweden’s government is generally very progressive when it comes to stuff like this and the system is just there to prevent people naming their kids “allah”.
If anything the way we handle names is great for trans people because getting your legal name changed can be done from the comfort of your computer, largely.
I’m proud to be an American, where at least I can name my kids Yungblud Founding Father Lee Awesome. I won’t forget the Kanyes and Jason Lee’s who named their kids weirdly. And I’ll gladly stand up next to Pilot Inspektor and Jermajesty!
Don’t mind me, I’m just the local idiot.
Sounds pretty dumb, not gonna lie.
Harm doesn’t come from names, harms comes from people.
Last thing I need is government regulation for naming my child. (It is very strictly regulated where I’m from. So a classroom of 30 kids has 6 “Johns”)
Every name was unique at some point.
