About

William Gregory Raley-Barrett aka

Greg Ofilio Man

The reason for the name change from
William Gregory Raley-Barrett to Greg Ofilio Man.

Last nameRaley is my birth father and Barrett is my adopted father. Neither one of them had a prescence in my upbringing. I do not feel anger or malice to either of these men, I just don’t know them… and I guess, that is the point. Man is mother’s maiden name. The only family connection I have is with the Man family. I consider my uncles, especially Uncle Johnny Man, to be more of a father figure than anyone else. This last name would honor my Asian heritage.

First nameNo one knows me as William. It has always been confusing on paperwork to list my first name but be called by my middle name. It makes sense to change my first name to what I am actually called. I was originally named after my father as a junior, but he remarried and named the first born son from that marriage, William Gregory Raley Jr. Obviously, the name no longer applies to me. This adjusted first name would honor my European heritage.

Middle name: I choose Ofilio in honor of my late, great-uncle (my maternal grandmother’s brother). We shared the same birthday of March 11. He was gay in a time and place where it was dangerous to be so. He formally never came out to the family until we met in 1993 in Chicago. After that, I went down to visit him in Panama every other year to celebrate our birthdays together until he passed. He was ignored and rejected by many due to his sexual orientation, but he never lost his gentleness, kindness or goodwill. These are characteristics I wish to emulate. By taking his name, I would be proclaiming to the family that I honor and remember him. This middle name would honor my Latin heritage. 

Bonus: With the first name of Greg and the Middle name of Ofilio, my initials would be GO Man! Way easier to sign on documents and much more memorable.