New Name (Press, 26 March 1988)
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Summary: New Name (Press, 26 March 1988)
On 26 March 1988, a news story from NZPA in London highlighted the experiences of a Yorkshireman named Jonathan Gay, who decided to change his name to Jonny Straight. The 30-year-old bachelor from Leeds had faced persistent teasing and ridicule related to his name, particularly regarding implications about his sexuality. He reported that he had not engaged in sexual relations for two years, as many women reacted with laughter and mockery upon learning his name, often assuming he was homosexual. A close friend of Gay, Simon Goodwin, spoke to the media, expressing concern for his friend’s predicament. Goodwin indicated that the stigma associated with Gay's name deterred women from approaching him romantically, stating that "women wouldn’t go near him" due to the implications of his given name. The change to Jonny Straight was viewed as a desperate attempt to circumvent the negative attention and challenges that had arisen from his original name. The situation underscored broader societal attitudes towards names and their potential influence on personal relationships and self-perception.
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