Last week, one of you asked how I came to choose the name ‘Liam’ for myself…

For a long time, even before beginning hormone therapy, I wondered about the right name. My first thoughts were along the lines of carrying on family traditions and maybe pick ‘Karl’ in honour of my late grandfather and my father. But I soon felt, since I was given the rare chance to name myself, I should go for something to really represent my personality.

Weeks of pondering didn’t get me anywhere. Then one evening I watched ‘Blown Away’ with Jeff Bridges. I watched the movie several times, identifying with the hero he portrayed – a sensitive, vulnerable, yet strong character who doesn’t give up. Incidentally, his name in the movie was ‘Liam” and I began tasting it on my tongue like a very delicious, full-bodied wine.
Research into the name’s meaning revealed that it derives from the German name ‘Wilhelm’, which literally means ‘will’ and ‘helmet’. He is a protector, someone who shows courage and determination in the face of adversity. I liked that very much and considering all I had already survived and faced at that point, it seemed fitting. To take it literally: I was strong-willed. And while I had never worn a helmet, I had spent my teenage years wearing thick, black leather jackets to protect myself.
To my ears, ’Liam’ was a soft-sounding name lacking any harsh consonants, which also felt just right.

As a middle name I then came up with one more perfect tidbit. I soon decided on ‘Kieran’ with, I must say, a twinkle in my eye. If I’ve learned one thing in life then it’s to never take anything including ourselves too seriously. Ciarán (Irish) or Ciaran (Scottish) is a Gaelic name meaning “little dark one” or “blacky”. Since I’ve always been quite a little guy with a shock of thick, dark brown hair, this completed me rather perfectly.

So there you go, the determined little dark one with a helmet: Liam Kieran Klenk.

#Paralian #LiamKlenk #notjusttrans #odyssey #lifejourney #nevergiveup #memoir #LGBT