My birth name never really suited me. After spending 26 years living with it, I came out as trans. I knew I needed a new name, but naming yourself is really hard. Your name needs to be something you can recognize and respond to — something you can feel.
I’d heard other trans people talk about the euphoria they’d felt when deciding what they would be called. This time around, I wanted a name that reflected my Filipina identity. But something didn’t feel right. My doubts about names felt endless. Could I find one that fit me at all?
When my plants wither, it feels like a reflection of my own setbacks
Taking care of myself and my plants can be an uphill battle
Kate not Katie: Why I dropped the ‘i’ in my name
As I got older, my name started to feel like a too-small sweater
