[kstrauser]

Same here. I get around this by never mentioning my first name unless I'm in a situation where it's legally required, like at a doctor's office or the DMV. That groups down to a small number of cases:

1. If they're working for me, like at the doctor's office, I ask them to please call me by my middle name. They're generally respectful about it and are used to dealing with nicknames and other aliases anyway.

2. In the DMV and other situations, I just grit my teeth and answer by my first name. It's not worth the hassle of explaining and they don't care anyway.

3. If I'm being hired, I fill out my paperwork "officially" and give it to HR, with the explanation that I go by my middle name for all legal purposes.

4. Banks are kind of weird because they perform official government functions, but they're still ultimately working for me. I've only had one bank flat-out refuse to put my middle name on my debit card and checks, and I explained to the branch manager why I was walking out the door before we'd finished opening my account.