A tribunal in Milan just ordered a couple to rename their 18-month-old child to something ‘more distinctly female.’
Luca and Vittoria named their daughter ‘Blu’ to stand for ‘Beautiful Luminous Unique.’
But handing down the ordinance this week, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said: ‘The name imposed on the child must correspond to sex,’ reports Il Giorno.
It continued: ‘It is a modern name linked to the English word Blue – that is the colour Blue – and which can not be considered unique attributable to a female person.’
This is due to a Presidential decree passed in 2000 requiring a child’s name correspond to the child’s sex.
Photo: Michael J / Flickr
If the parents fail to comply by Thursday (24 May), the tribunal will choose a name for them.
The ordinance continued: ‘The birth certificate must be corrected, inserting another more distinctly female name that the parents may supply to the judges.’
Parents claim the order is unfair
It’s part of a small, increasing worldwide trend with the name Blue – after superstar Beyonce’s child.
Luca said: ‘When we showed up at the registry office they warned us that there might be a risk of being recalled.’
He cites six other children named Blu (or Blue), mostly female, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics.
The parents believe having to change their daughter’s name is unfair because she already responds to Blu.
The court is also hearing another case of a female baby named Blu in Milan.
Human rights campaigner Jane Fae wrote in a blog: ‘What IS the effect of coming home one day and just starting to call an 18-month-old by a different name?
‘It is unlikely to be good,’ she said.
