A trans man has gone viral after sharing a self-deprecating post about the name he chose when transitioning—only to realize later it might not have been the best pick.
The Reddit user, u/Iwouldwalk500more, from Wisconsin, shared an open invitation to be roasted on the subreddit r/tragedeigh, where his post quickly garnered over 6,100 upvotes. The r/tragedeigh community is dedicated to poking fun at so-called “tragedeigh” names—ones that are purposefully misspelled or made up to appear unique.
In his post, the Reddit poster wrote: “This is a roast me because I picked it MYSELF. For context I am a trans man and chose this name when transitioning. “Kohl. YES, LIKE THE U.S. DEPARTMENT STORE.
“Pronounced ‘Cole’. I liked it because it’s German and my last name is German and have got roots there and what not, but now I’m realizing it was a pretty s***** choice.”
He said that he had initially chosen the name for its cultural resonance, only to later discover that “Kohl” directly translates to cabbage in German. Fortunately, he hadn’t legally changed it yet. In a later update, he said he also hadn’t realized it was a type of eye pencil. “PLEASE ROAST ME,” he asked.
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Reddit users were more than happy to oblige—with humor, personal anecdotes, and linguistic insights.
One German user replied: “Uhmmm … I (German) like cabbage. But as a first name it’s quite unfortunate. Unfortunately most Germans (at least those older than 40) will also be reminded of former chancellor Helmut Kohl.”
Helmut Kohl served as chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998, known for overseeing German reunification.
Another commenter wrote: “On the subject of German nicknames, the family I stayed with in Germany back in the 90s called Helmut Kohl ‘Cabbage Head’ and when I asked why they just said ‘because that is his name’.”
Others chimed in with cross-cultural references. One posted: “In French, a pet name/term of endearment for a loved one is ‘mon petit chou’ which translates to ‘my little cabbage’.”
Another recounted a makeup-inspired naming decision: “Have a friend who used Kohl as a middle name for her daughter in bout 20yrs ago, it was obtained from eyeliner pencil- Kohl black lol [laugh out loud].”
Some offered solidarity, with a mom sharing her trans son’s close call with an equally bold name: “My trans son was dead set on Vilkas for at least 2 years … I was about to cave!
“The very day before I was going to change my mind and help him get started with the paperwork, he came to us … ‘I think Marcus would be a better name. It’ll be so much easier for everyone to spell and understand.’
“YES THANK GOD YESSSSS … Changed his name within a month or two and I’ve never been so grateful,” the mom added.
“Later, he told me another name on his shortlist was ‘Bread’,” she wrote.
Another user noted a trend among people they know: “Every trans male I tend to meet picks Toby for some reason.”
A final jab came with: “Go with it and pick Sephora as a middle name.”
Eventually, the original poster gave a much-anticipated update: “This has THANKFULLY convinced me to change it to the more ‘normal’ spelling of Cole! I’M NO LONGER A TRAGEDEIGH!!!!! But continue to laugh at my previous decision below,” he wrote.
Newsweek reached out to u/Iwouldwalk500more for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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