There’s a phenomenon where once masculine names become feminine in only a generation or so. There was a time when there were oodles of men named Kelly, Ashley, Leslie, or Carol walking around, only for them to disappear nearly entirely in 2024. However, some gender-neutral names have fought a good fight to stay gender-neutral. To maintain that level of ambiguity, they need to lean more masculine because, as anyone who’s looked at «gender neutral clothing» lines knows, gender neutral often means masculinity that society feels comfortable with women embracing. 

One of those names that leans masculine is Sawyer. Sure, some girls have that name, but it’s almost three times more common for a baby boy to be named Sawyer than a baby girl. Nevertheless, some girls named Sawyer embrace their unique names, like the central figure in this story. This 17-year-old has been begging the paternal side of her family to call her by her first name, but they won’t stop differing to her more feminine middle name.