My Name is...

Writing under my own name has created more difficulty than I anticipated.

The intent of this piece is to make it clear why I am using this name.

After receiving abusive messages from family, who seemed to feel that I was compromising their identity (the exact words were 'we have careers to protect too') - I started publishing under a pseudonym.

My intent has never been to humiliate or 'out' anyone - my intent is to raise awareness of the group, and to tell my own story.

The difficulties of using a pseudonym are twofold - 1. Im not easily identifiable to media, publishers which puts me at a disadvantage when raising the profile of my work; 2. It does not feel authentic. I dont want to hide who I am. If I can not take claim to this work - what is the point of it?

So then I considered publishing in my married name. Difficulties with this are that I married an Italian - and my married surname misleads people into thinking that The Truth has connections to Mafia, which feels unfair to a law-abiding family who inherited me - they don't deserve that!

I have made the decision to publish under my own name. This decision feels authentic, and driven from a place of 'acceptance' of who I am.

If my identity makes some uncomfortable, I feel that I've adequately considered the impact on others, and I am comfortable with this decision. ie. please don't contact me complaining that I have compromised my family.