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   Christopher Phin (chrisphin@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 07-Jun-2025 00:25:31 JST Christopher Phin

   For a few years I’ve toyed with the idea of ‘changing my name’ to Kit. I like it. It’s sparky, and seems better to fit me than Chris or Christopher. ‘Changing my name’ is in scare quotes because Kit is an accepted diminutive of ‘Christopher’, so it’s really only like a David preferring to be called Dave.

   There was a point where I considered it more seriously, but there’s an arsehole Tory politician of that name and I didn’t like the association.

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     Christopher Phin (chrisphin@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 07-Jun-2025 00:25:30 JST Christopher Phin

     in reply to

     swapping a cis name for another cis name; not even _swapping_ my name, just switching to a different diminutive. I wouldn’t even need to change any documentation, I could just remain Christopher but style myself Kit. It’s all-round the simplest, least-socially-frictional change one could make. And yet.

     Fuck, man, trans people are fucking incredible.

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     13 barn owls in a trenchcoat (hauntedowlbear@eldritch.cafe)'s status on Saturday, 07-Jun-2025 00:25:30 JST 13 barn owls in a trenchcoat

     in reply to

     @chrisphin Honestly, you should do it, more power to you, and it really isn't too hard.

     I know you've escaped the tech press wormhole that I'm only halfway out of, but everyone was so good about changing my bylines and addressing me correctly.

     (Although Future's invoice department still has me down as $deadname, I think.)

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     Christopher Phin (chrisphin@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 07-Jun-2025 00:25:31 JST Christopher Phin

     in reply to

     Then I got to know someone very sweet of that name and it kinda rehabilitated it for me, hence my wandering mind just now thinking again about what ‘changing my name’ would look like. The awkwardness of asking people – would they think it was an affectation? A mid-life crisis? A stupid name?

     And then it hit me afresh how (especially) trans people have to deal with changing their name, and what strength of character it takes to do that — when I’m just fretting about:

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     Christopher Phin (chrisphin@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 07-Jun-2025 00:33:42 JST Christopher Phin

     in reply to

     • 13 barn owls in a trenchcoat

     @HauntedOwlbear WHICH REMINDS ME I meant to include this on my original thread so dropping here for some onanistic self-reboosting:

     I've stopped using ‘deadname’ and adopted ‘necronym’ 😈

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     13 barn owls in a trenchcoat (hauntedowlbear@eldritch.cafe)'s status on Saturday, 07-Jun-2025 00:33:42 JST 13 barn owls in a trenchcoat

     in reply to

     @chrisphin The eldritch vibes are💀impeccable💀