A name is not just a name....

My brothers (of which I have two), and I have been given two names in addition to our surname. That in itself is not singularly unique. What is distinctive is that we use our middle names. That is intentional. It was the intention of our parents. We do not, nor have we ever, used our first names in any formal capacity.

In fact, my first name appears nowhere other than my birth certificate -- not on my driver's licence, health card or my passport. All that represents the fact that I do indeed have a first name is a singular initial. That's it. A lone letter.

Government offices do not like me for my non-conformist nature. They believe I should use my first name. Everyone uses their first name. They don't acknowledge those of us who don't. They don't acknowledge the use of initials as a replacement for a first name. They don't acknowledge that we may have a different approach to the use of our names. They see this as unacceptable. Ironically, I see their intolerance as unacceptable.

But here's the kicker... if I want to "officially" use my middle name -- the name, I might add that I've been using for more than five decades without incident -- I have to incurr costs to seek legal counsel and fill out reams of paperwork to officially "CHANGE MY NAME".

What?!

I'm NOT changing my name. I'm asking you to use the name I've been given; the name chosen by my family to honour who I am. I won't call you Harry or Jane if it's not your name, and I would ask you not to call me by a name that is not the one I use. My name is not a nickname; it's an official name on my birth certificate and every other piece of documentation that identifies who I am.

Sounds reasonable, right? So why is everyone so insistent that one MUST use their first name? What about the representation of new Canadians and their cultures where naming conventions may not dictate "first" name use?

Wow. Just wow. Maybe our politicians can consider a law about this too -- just as they ridiculously think there needs to be a law to see people's faces at citizenship ceremonies.

Really???

Signed "Just Gail"