15-year-old Icelandic girl takes on government over name decision

A 15-year-old Icelandic girl has successfully overturned a government decision that denied her the right to legally use her own name.

Authorities had long rejected Blaer Bjarkardottir’s given name—which means “gentle breeze”—because it was too “masculine sounding” and not on the list of 1,853 approved handles for women. And for years, official documents and communications had referred to her as “girl.” It’s not clear whether the government intends to appeal the Reykjavik District Court ruling to the country’s Supreme Court, but the teen is claiming victory. “I’m very happy,” she told reporters. “Finally, I’ll have the name Blaer in my passport.”