Transracial (identity)
![]() |

Transracial people identify as a different race than the one associated with their biological ancestry.[1][2] They may adjust their appearance to make themselves look more like that race, and they may participate in activities associated with that race.
Controversy over the term[edit]
Historically, transracial has been used to describe parents who adopt a child of a different race.[3][4][5]
The use of the term to describe changing racial identity has been criticized by members of the transracial adoption community. Kevin H. Vollmers, executive director of an adoption non-profit, said the term is being "appropriated and co-opted" and that this is a "slap in the face" to transracial adoptees.[5] In June 2015, about two dozen transracial adoptees, transracial parents and academics published an open letter in which they condemned the new usage as "erroneous, ahistorical, and dangerous."[5][6][7]
In April 2017, the feminist philosophy journal Hypatia published an academic paper in support of recognizing transracialism and drawing parallels between transracial and transgender identity.[1] Publication of this paper resulted in considerable controversy. The subject was also explored in Trans: Gender and Race in an Age of Unsettled Identities, a 2016 book by UCLA sociology professor Rogers Brubaker, who argues that the phenomenon, though offensive to many, is psychologically real to many people, and has many examples throughout history.[8][9]
Braden Hill, an Aboriginal Australian at Edith Cowan University criticised "transracialism", writing: "There is a difference between affirming your gender as a trans person and choosing to live and appropriate another culture."[10]
Examples[edit]
- Rachel Dolezal is known for identifying as a black woman despite having been born to white parents.[1][2][10] She successfully passed as black, to the extent that she took over leadership of the Spokane branch of the NAACP in 2014, a year before her "outing" in 2015.
- Grey Owl, a British-born conservationist who publicly identified as Native American. His first wife revealed his ancestry posthumously.[11]
- Moorish Science Temple of America members must recognize their alleged Moorish origins by declaring their symbolic nationality as Moroccan without proof or documentation of said nationality or ethnicity.[12]
- Korla Pandit, an African-American musician who posed as an Indian from New Delhi in both his public and private life.[13] Pandit was born John Roland Redd.[14]
- Martina Big, who was featured on Maury in September 2017, is a woman of white ancestry who identifies as black.[15][16] Big has had tanning injections administered by a physician to darken her skin and hair.[15][16]
- Ja Du, a trans woman who was born to white parents but considers herself Filipina, created a Facebook page and community for others who self-identify as transracial.[17][18][19]
- Jessica Krug, a woman born to white parents who had been passing as a black woman for her entire professional life.[20][21] Krug is an associate professor of history and Africana Studies at George Washington University. After her ancestry was revealed she resigned and stopped identifying as African.[22]
- Treasure Richards, a black teenage girl, gained national attention when she appeared on Dr. Phil. She claimed that she was white because body parts such as her hair, nose, and lips resembled a white person's instead of a black person's among others. [23] Her sister cast doubts on the veracity of the claims.[24]
- Oli London, a British influencer and singer who identifies as Korean, and has had numerous plastic surgeries to confirm their current racial identity. London modelled their appearance on their idol, BTS singer Jimin.[25]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Tuvel, Rebecca (2017). "In Defense of Transracialism". Hypatia. 32 (2): 263–278. doi:10.1111/hypa.12327. ISSN 0887-5367. S2CID 151630261.
- ^ a b Brubaker, Rogers (2015). "The Dolezal affair: race, gender, and the micropolitics of identity". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 39 (3): 414–448. doi:10.1080/01419870.2015.1084430. ISSN 0141-9870. S2CID 146583317.
- ^ Valby, Karen. "The Realities of Raising a Kid of a Different Race". Time. Archived from the original on December 18, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ "Growing Up 'White,' Transracial Adoptee Learned To Be Black". NPR. January 26, 2014. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ a b c Kai-Hwa Wang, Frances (June 17, 2015). "Adoptees to Rachel Dolezal: You're Not Transracial". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ Moyer, Justin Wm. (June 17, 2015). "Rachel Dolezal draws ire of transracial adoptees". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ Kimberly McKee, PhD; et al. (June 16, 2015). "An Open Letter: Why Co-opting "Transracial" in the Case of Rachel Dolezal is Problematic". Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ "Trans: Gender and Race in an Age of Unsettled Identities". Princeton University Press. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Brubaker, Rogers (2016). "Introduction" (PDF). Trans: Gender and Race in an Age of Unsettled Identities. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. pp. 1–11. ISBN 9780691172354. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ a b Horne, Marc (October 12, 2021). "Members can identify as black, disabled or female, university union insists". The Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ Onyanga-Omara, Jane (September 19, 2013). "Grey Owl: Canada's great conservationist and imposter". BBC News. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ Koura, Chloe (May 27, 2017). "The American Religion That Makes Its Members 'Moroccans'". Morocco World News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ Wilder, Amy (November 22, 2015). "Man of mystery: Documentary sheds light on enigmatic Columbia entertainer". Columbia Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ Bradner, Liesl (September 12, 2015). "How a Black Man From Missouri Transformed Himself Into the Indian Liberace". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ a b Lubin, Rhian (September 22, 2017). "White glamour model with size 32S breasts who spent £50k on cosmetic surgery now 'identifies as a black woman'". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ a b Valens, Ana (September 22, 2017). "White woman who 'transitioned' races to Black is back". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ Yam, Kimberly (November 15, 2017). "Filipinos Aren't Happy With This White Woman Claiming To Be Filipina". HuffPost. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Man born white explains why he now identifies as Filipino". The Independent. November 14, 2017. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ Salo, Jackie (November 13, 2017). "'Transracial' man was born white, identifies as Filipino". New York Post. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ Lumpkin, Lauren; Svrluga, Susan (September 3, 2020). "White GWU professor admits she falsely claimed Black identity". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ Noor, Poppy (September 3, 2020). "White US professor admits she has pretended to be Black for years". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ Asmelash, Leah. "Professor who lied about being Black resigns from George Washington University". CNN. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ Bennett, Jessica (October 25, 2018). "Black Teen Claims She's 'Transracial' White Woman, Hates Black People". Ebony. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ Shamsian, Jacob. "'She wanted to be a meme': The racist black teen featured on 'Dr. Phil' is a fraud, according to her sister". Insider. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ Neumann, Laiken (June 21, 2021). "'This is my new official flag': White influencer says they identify as Korean". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
Further reading[edit]
- Brubaker, Rogers (2016). Trans: Gender and Race in an Age of Unsettled Identities. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-17235-4.
- Dolezal, Rachel (2017). In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World. with Storms Reback. Dallas: BenBella Books. ISBN 978-1-944648-17-6.