Salient points, lin821.

Have you tried PMing the hyphenated user? Go to your own profile, select "send new message" and start filling out the username you wish to send to -- it will prompt you with username suggestions, including the hyphenated version of the user you're trying to reach.

Failing that, there are many trusted Moderators who would I'm sure be very helpful in contacting a member on your behalf.

As to "who am I to request..." I would say you are a fellow FTer who wants everyone to be able to communicate with one-another. As these issues only come up every so often, it makes a lot more sense for them to be handled case by case than for us to legislate that every member with punctuation in their handle needs to request a handle change. I would think a fellow FTer would welcome a suggestion that would allow her/him to more easily communicate with their community, even if it meant a slight modification in their name.