“What’s in a name?” asks Juliet, arguing, quite reasonably, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet and her lover Romeo meet a bad end because of their names, something that perhaps many Facebook users can understand. The social network’s policy of insisting that its users must sign in with their legal names has caused controversy, as it has forced drag queens and others to use their real names, resulting in protests and petitions. Now one woman in Britain has had to legally change her name just so she can access her Facebook account. Jemma Rogers began using the pseudonym Jemmaroid von Laalaa on Facebook in 2008 “so that she could avoid getting friend requests from people she didn’t want to befriend on the social network,” reports Mashable. When the website requested proof that “Jemmaroid von Laalaa” was her real name, she tried faking her I.D. to continue access, but to no avail: she was blocked from accessing the account.
Rogers then took the extraordinary step of officially changing her name by deed poll, but she is still denied access to her Facebook account. “I can’t believe I’m stuck with this stupid name and I still can’t get into my Facebook,” she said. “I know I’ve been a completely moron, but Facebook are being ridiculous. I’ve been locked out of my account for five weeks now and have lost all of my photos, messages and precious memories.”
