How I became “Mixter”

This article first appeared on Transgender Universe, here:  How I Became Mixter

For the sake of clarity, I’m going to give myself a pseudonym dead-name, for this article.  Assume that before changing my name, my name was “KD Shorts.”  And my new, legal name is “Kameron.”

A little over two years ago, I was at a workshop at the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference, and one of the presenters was mentioning that they go by the honorific, Mx. (Mixter) in their professional settings.  I had heard of this before, but I thought it was just a theoretical pipe dream.  Here was someone who was actually using it, in their actual life!  I felt soooo jealous.  I thought to myself (with a good dose of biting envy), “Oooh, look at the progressive academic who gets to waltz around in an enlightened and indulgent bubble all day long.”  I never thought I would get there.  Furthermore, even though I’m in my thirties, it was tough to envision a world where I was grown-up enough to have an honorific of my own.

I’d done an excellent job at avoiding it.  No Mr. or Ms. for me!  I am a janitor at an elementary school:  a place where there’s a lot of “Mr. / Mrs. / Miss / Ms. [last name]” around the kids, and then first names amongst ourselves.  Except for the custodial staff.  It’s first names all around for us, generally.  Everywhere except for our name plates on the custodial office door.  There, we are “Mr. [last name]” and “Mrs. [last name]”  I had somehow gotten away with requesting that I be simply “KD Shorts.”  It was awesome.

There was another sticking point though:  every year, at school pictures time.  We get our pics taken,  and then we get some freebies, as well as a sheet of all the staff pics – just like a student would get a sheet of their class.  And so, we had to give our names, to be recorded on the sheet.  It would vary from year to year, depending on how vocal/empowered I was feeling.  I usually told the portrait employee, “no Ms. or Mr.  Just KD Shorts.”  There were a few years though, where I was “Ms. Shorts” as the default.

These past few weeks, I’ve been riding the wave of legally changing my name, which has been especially gratifying at work, where I was still known as KD Shorts, (she/her/hers).  Everywhere else in my life, I had been going by “Kameron” for about two years, and (he/him/his) for many many years prior to that.  So, essentially, I utilized this time of change as a chance to come out at work.

I talked to the principal and assistant principal on Friday, December 23rd.  I stated that I was changing my name and my pronouns, and that I identify as neither a man nor a woman.  The impromptu meeting was less than stellar – they fixated on bathrooms and the fact that the change was going to be hard for people to remember.  They did mention that they wanted me to feel comfortable, but didn’t offer any concrete ways that that could happen.  I did not panic though – I was thinking, “do not catastrophize this.”  I remained neutral and open, but I didn’t use it as a teaching moment.  I shouldn’t have to!  I thought that things would work out fine, ultimately, and if not, I could always call in the big guns:  my local gay alliance’s speaker’s bureau, to do the educating on my behalf.

We all took a time out for winter recess.  I then came in on Tuesday, January 3rd, and the principal asked me if I’d come speak to her.  Of her own volition, she had consulted the head of HR, and she had basically done a 180.  We had a much more fruitful discussion.  She still was strong in her opinions, but she made it clear that every choice was up to me, and I could take some time to think it over.  We ended up talking about:
– How to come out, and the timeline
– How my name would appear on my name plate on the custodial office door
– Bathrooms

Coming out:  I said that I have already pretty much told the people I would naturally tell in person, the ones I see regularly or semi-regularly.  And I wasn’t going to be able to get to everyone, so if she could either make an announcement at the next staff meeting and/or send an email, that’d be great.  We agreed she would do both.  I told her I’d get back to her with the content I’d like her to say.

Name plate:  The biggie!  I said I had two ideas, but I didn’t say exactly what they were.  (I’ll say it here though!  Either  1. just “Kameron” and nothing else.  2. Mx. [last name].)  She said that her thought was that my co-workers have Mr. _____ and Mrs. _____, so it’d be great if I conformed to that and picked one or the other.  I said, “OK!  Great, there is another option that I will go with.  It’s Mx.  That’s pronounced ‘Mixter.'”  She wrote it down in her notes.  It was a done deal!

Bathrooms:  I could write an additional article about this (heck, probably more like a dissertation!), but to keep it short and sweet:  We agreed that I get to pick where I go, and I am making no big deal of it, and it does not need to be a part of any announcement.

All’s how it should be!  Just one more small way I am joining the world of adults.  That’s Mixter, to you.