Are feminists losing sight of how humor can oppress in a rush to be seen as funny?

Having people see you the way you want to be seen – the way you see yourself – is a privilege. Without it, every day is a battle to have your identity validated, a battle against erasure and for self-determination.

If there’s a single name that feels the least “real,” the most connected to social structures, cis-het-patriarchy and its assumptions, it’s the one I was given at birth.

While we’re demanding that women be treated equitably in this society, we’re saying that it’s up to women — still — to make the “proper” choice, like not taking their husbands’ names, to legitimize feminism.

The relationship individuals have with their names is influenced by myriad individual and cultural experiences, alongside those that are social and political.

Choosing a name, from the perspective of a transracial adoptee.