Oklahoma court: Man can switch name after sex change

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals says a man who has completed a sex change should be allowed to change his name as well, rejecting the idea that men should have men's names and women should have women's names.

The three-judge panel said Tuesday that Steven Charles Harvey was not attempting to deceive anyone by asking to be known as Christie Ann Harvey. Oklahoma County District Judge Bill Graves had ruled against Harvey, noting that gender-reassignment surgery didn't change Harvey's DNA.

The panel said Graves committed a "clear error" by rejecting the name change. In the unanimous ruling, it said the law does not require people to have gender-specific names and said there are several names that are traditionally used by both men and women.