This is something I've always been curious about. I'm still trying to figure out if I'm androgynous/GQ, but for those of you who do, do you use a gender neutral name? If I am really GQ, I think I have a name I like. It's Jay, which sounds masculine and feminine at the same time to me. It's actually based off my middle name, which is Jayne. The thing is, my real name is Emily, so I think if I realize that genderqueer is my thing, it wouldn't feel right to have such a feminine name. At the same time, I would feel bad just up and getting rid of the name my parents spent a long time picking out for me. I guess for now I'll just keep trying to figure things out and keep Jay on the inside Anyways, what I'm asking is: Do genderqueer people change their names?
Yeah, if genderqueer people don't like/don't feel comfortable with their birth names they will change it to something that's more suitable to them. Some genderqueer people don't change their name because maybe they where born with a gender-neutral name and they are comfortable with that, or some would rather just go with a nickname. It depends on every single person though, if you want to keep "Emily" as your name but go along with Jay that's perfectly fine. Change your name to whatever you feel comfortable with.
Sure! I think Jay is a pretty name. GQ people can change their names, definitely. You would have to explain to people that you'd like to be called by your new name, of course, including your parents. Tell them you prefer your chosen name and so on and hopefully they won't take it too bad. ~Lots of love
I like the name Jay. But for the "Emily" thing and not wanting to completely ditch it cause family, you could use a name like "Jay Emerson [surname]". I think that sounds nice. ---------- Post added 17th Jul 2015 at 01:47 PM ---------- Although that might sound too masculine... sorry. ._.
That's alright. I actually like the idea of incorporating the old name into a middle name. Thanks everyone for the helpful replies! I'm still working things out when it comes to gender, but I'm happy to have this support.
I didn't have a neutral name. In fact, mine means "princess" as well as just being a terribly stereotypical female name. So yes, I chose a new name (which is also my user). The trouble I had was picking a name that sounded close enough to my birth name (which has no neutral counterpart, or any counterpart. This is unfortunate, as I'm named for a great person) and my first choice was "Sam". But Sam is a nickname, and the automatic assumption would have been an abbreviation for Samantha or Samuel. All I could think of when I heard it was that SNL skits with the character Pat. I found Sevan, which is neutral and obscure enough for no one to really know if it was a name oriented towards one gender or another. Though I wish there was a neutral option closer to my birth name. As for Emily, have you considered having a name that is similarly derivative of it? That is to say, if you don't prefer Jay. But someone mentioned the name Emerson. But just as well, There is Emery, too. Find the root of the name, and see what you can find that's gender neutral. A good thing to point out is that names are always in flux in regards to gender. And this is important. For example, back in the 50s, the name Courtney was near exclusively male. Now, it's near exclusively female. Today, the name Ryan is near exclusively male, but there have been quite a number of females that are being given the name. Just something to keep in mind if you're considering changing your name to something else. Check out the trends with that name. All in all, yes. GQ people do change their names sometimes.
