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?