Watson

My family and I refer to Séan (my name while I was trans) as if he's a separate person. My sister might say “Séan was so angry,” or I'll say “Séan had my back.” If someone's unaware I was Séan and asks who he is, I say “Oh, I was Séan,” and I realize how fucking nuts it sounds.

No, I'm not nuts. My sister took to saying Séan rather than “when you were trans” because she felt Séan was a stranger and nothing like her sister. I say Séan rather than “when I was a trans man” because I've found it easier to talk about certain experiences by doing so.

So if I ever go on a drunken Twitter rant about some guy named Séan, don't worry, I'm just ranting about myself. It's surprisingly cathartic, actually. Even if it sounds fucking mental. You guys should try it sometime.

doesn't sound mental at all. Séan was you, like a new personality. Somewhat like disassociative personality—you seperated yourself from who you are to cope with trauma, GD, etc. Séan is you and you are Séan. It is good to acknowledge that. Erasing him would be unfair to you.