Does it feel like this to you?

[VisorDown]

I might be being a bit silly here -- forgive me if I am, but I'm just ... a little bit curious and wondering if it's the same feeling other people get.

Your birth name and... assigned pronoun? I'm hoping I'm using these terms right. Correct me if not, please!

When someone's right next to you and they call you by the wrong name or the wrong pronoun, does it feel like they're calling someone else you know? Someone across the room with their back turned, or maybe not even in the room?

I don't know, I thought I'd at least bring it up. It's a weird feeling. It always takes me a moment to realise my body is the one they're reaching out to, not me.

[Elis]

I'm not out, so when a person uses my birth name it feels odd. Like I know they mean me, but I don't feel like I am that person and takes me a split second to realise they see me as someone else. It's really hard to describe.

[AlB]

Yeah, I know the feeling. Sometimes I forget to react to my birth name.

I remember one time when my parents and I were talking. I don't remember exactly what we were talking about, but my mom said "... your daughter..." to my dad. And I thought of one of my sisters and couldn't really get it to make sense, so I was like "what?? what do you mean?"-ish, but she meant me... that was pretty awkward.

[StrykerXIII]

There's another guy at work who shares the same first name as I do, and 9 times out of 10 when I hear "Hey Kyle" I think he's in the area and someone's talking to him. People have to get my attention a couple times before I react.

[Willow Montesi]

People talk to me with both my preferred name and birth name. For some reason, some people have such a hard time saying Willow instead of Will. It's only adding ow, but people can be thick. I just respond to both unless I'm in public, as the last thing I need is to be outed as trans. It's rather annoying being out as trans and still getting called a he by friends and family, though.

[infinity]

whenever someone uses my birth name, i feel like i'm not the person who belongs to that name. although i know they're referring to me, i just feel so detached from my birth name and everything associated with it that it's extremely bizarre to hear someone call me by it. an even weirder experience is when you have to introduce yourself with that name (i'm not out yet).

as for assigned pronouns, i cringe whenever someone calls me "she." even thinking about it just makes me .

[Mariah]

Just like I cringe every time they use the male pronouns with me. I have gotten to the point where I don't generally respond the old name at all and the only time I'm forced to is due to my mom who has dementia who I happen to take care of.
Mariah

whenever someone uses my birth name, i feel like i'm not the person who belongs to that name. although i know they're referring to me, i just feel so detached from my birth name and everything associated with it that it's extremely bizarre to hear someone call me by it. an even weirder experience is when you have to introduce yourself with that name (i'm not out yet).

as for assigned pronouns, i cringe whenever someone calls me "she." even thinking about it just makes me .

[FTMax]

Before I came out to everyone and was just Max in my head, it would sometimes get a little weird. The turning point was going to an LGBT clinic where they only know me as Max. It was the first time my name had been used by anyone in an official capacity and it took me a minute to register that I was being called.

And now? I don't really register when someone says my birth name. My roommates that I see daily call me Max. Boyfriend calls me Max. Family calls me Max. Work colleagues call me Max. It's really only clients that I don't see regularly who mess it up. I've decided the gentlest way to treat it is just not responding until they use the correct name or at the least stop using my birth name.

[Dierdre Lenore]

I just came out and started presenting female at work, literally days ago. I have no idea to what level, if any I will transition. I am utterly lost and confused. Therapy begins this week. I am starting to get mildly bothered by pronouns but don't want to push it. I hate the name Bert, but it is all they know. I am sure everyone else is as confused as me, but, we gotta start somewhere!

[ChiGirl]

I'm not out to many people and am pre-everything, but hearing my name causes me to cringe lately.  I never liked my name, but as I approach transition, hearing or saying it causes a much more visceral reaction.