Published: February 2, 2022
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My grandfather said when he was younger a white person could just shout any name at a Black person & you were expected to respond & help them with whatever they needed. To this day, my family sees nicknames or shortened names given without permission as profound disrespect.
Depriving someone of their name is often a tool of oppression. I see parallels in the trans experience. You tell people your name and/or your pronouns, and they see it as an opportunity for debate.
And my family is so full of nicknames. Some of the strangest and most interesting nicknames. I have relatives whose real names I only found out in adulthood. But only family and close people are allowed to use them.