...is Travis Michael Clark

If I remember correctly, my namesake is Lt. Col. William Barret Travis, commander of the Republic of Texas at the Battle of the Alamo.

My dad is a history teacher and Army veteran.

Not sure where the "Michael" comes from though!

Apparently my mom had to fight with him over naming me "Lewis Nathanael"

...which he wanted because then I'd be "Lewis N. Clark"

beautiful

My nickname "Rav-T" is just a twist on my first name. Travis => Trav => T-rav => Rav-T. A guy I worked with at a summer camp was giving everybody "rapper names", and somehow that stuck on me

...for another nine years of working there

There are hundreds of people now who know of me only by that name. Even my parents call me "Rav-T" sometimes.

I ALWAYS WONDERED

Heh.

I'm actually more comfortable with my weird nickname than my birth name?

First, because "Travis" always sounds awkward in my mouth. Like I can't quite pronounce my own name right or something.

but more than that. 'Rav-T' is bizzare, and I'm bizzare. Theres a little bit of vainity in having a unique identifier, I must admit.

Also, the gender thing. I'm genderfluid, and while not usually too uncomfortable with aspects of my birth gender,

having a masculine name does feel ...wrong? sometimes?

Rav-T has no discernable gender, but started as male.

Also I sometimes enjoy referring to myself in the third person, using o ly Rav-T as the identifier. this gives the previous

comment double meanings.