I cannot go anywhere online without hearing about the mess, that is, Rachel Dolezal. Rachel Dolezal is a white woman, who’s been living as a black woman, for the past decade. Currently, she’s the president of the NAACP in Spokane, Washington. That’s right, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
This is Rachel as a child. This is Rachel as an adult. According to her birth parents, she started to disguise herself in 2006, when the Dolezals adopted four black children. Rachel, and one her adopted black brothers, were reportedly estranged from their parents and placed into a multi-cultural group home that celebrated black culture. From there, she started to identify herself as, at least, partially African-American, and started stated such on job applications.
She became an adjunct professor for African-American studies, at the Eastern Washington University, where she taught several classes, including one entitled, The Black Woman’s Struggle. She has done countless work for the black community in Spokane, including being part of a police oversight committee, as a representative of the black community.
She is currently under investigation for allegedly faking a hate crime, where she received a racist package. Her parents, Ruthanne and Larry Dolezal, have recently decided to out her as a white woman, stating that, they’re not sure why she felt the need to misrepresent herself. She’s received mixed reviews in the media, but Breitbart.com, has hailed her as a “transracial” hero.
It’s worth noting that the term trans racial, is being misused in this conversation. Trans racial is actually a term used to describe adoptions, where the parents are of a different race than the children that they adopt. For example, the Dolezals’ four black children, are trans racial adoptees, because their parents are white.
Recently, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about Caitlyn Jenner, who had recently revealed her body, and her new look, as a transgender woman. There are a lot of people conflating Caitlyn’s story with Rachel’s story. They’re saying that, if Caitlyn can transition into a woman, then why can’t Rachel transition into a black woman. As a black woman, who happens to be trans, I felt that I could help demystify the confusion, and tell you why Rachel’s story and Caitlyn’s story are not at all, the same.
A popular defense of Rachel Dolezal is that, race is a social construct, in the same way that gender is a social construct. So why is her story any different from Caitlyn’s? Race and gender are absolutely social constructs. The difference is that, gender is not a biological trait passed from parent to child, whereas race is. Evolution was regional, and there’s a reason why my skin is dark, and my ancestors come from the hot regions of Africa. Darker skin means more melanin. More melanin means more sun protection. That was necessary for groups of people, who historically are from areas where the sun is the hottest. That is evolutionary trait, passed from parent to child.
Gender, of course, is not passed from parent to child. Gender is a social construct, that usually pertains to, and differentiates between, masculinity and femininity. Gender does not hold the same biological basis that race does. Say that race is a social construct, and therefore, it’s okay for her to be transracial, is just kind of silly. A traffic light is a social construct, but you’re going to be in quite the pickle if you decide to run a red light into oncoming traffic.
Something else occurred to me. If I turned to you tomorrow and said I was white, would you believe me? See, this idea of transitioning into a race, is something that’s only available to certain people. Rachel Dolezal, got a tan and a perm. And apparently was able to fool people for about a decade. Now, I realize that to many ignorant cis people, there’s no difference between that, and me wearing a little bit of makeup. The difference is, that, while my gender has changed, my race will always remain the same. She can go home and wash off her self tanner, and wash out her perm. I can’t wash off my gender, and that’s something that isn’t defined by my makeup.
People draw this comparison between Rachel and Caitlyn, because they believe, that trans people are, at the end of the day, deceptive. To be honest, this accusation really doesn’t surprise me, because a lot of people seem to think, that trans people transition to fool the people around them. Rachel Dolezal is woman of Swiss, German, Czech, and Native American ancestry. She lied about who she is, and she’s continuing to lie about who she is.
As a trans woman, I don’t like being compared to someone who’s a liar. I am not being dishonest by being who I am today. Who I am today, is the most truthful incarnation of myself. Transitioning took honesty. Transitioning took accepting myself for who I was, and not continuing to be somebody that I wasn’t. I am living my truth. Rachel, is living a lie. See, transition comes with no benefits. My transition has thrown me off of the course of what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve had to give up so many dreams, to simply be myself. I could be so much further in my career, had I decided to not transition.
Trans people are still fighting to use the restroom. There are so many things that we have to fight against, to simply exist in a trans-phobic society. Rachel Dolezal, is a white woman who just one day decided she was going to be black, because she had an affinity for black culture. I never decided to be a trans woman. That’s simply a statement of the reality of my life. Being able to decide that one day you’re just going to be black, just reeks privilege to me. Presenting herself as a black woman, came with benefits. Especially because, she was perceived, as a black woman with light skin. She was paid money, to teach classes and give speeches about what a black woman’s experience is in American.
Part of being a black woman in this world, is coping with anti-blackness, and the self hate that comes from living in a euro centric society. Many black women, have to go through a journey of self acceptance and love, because they’re taught from day one, that their natural features are not beautiful. That, is part of the black female experience in this society. It’s an experience that Rachel Dolezal will only know from an academic standpoint. As a black woman, these are things that I’ve had to deal with. I’ll be honest and say that I feel some type of way when I see a white woman, who is living in this country, that has a history of racism, who is very aware of that history of racism, feel entitled to positions that have been carved out for black women, as a white woman.
The sad part is that, her voice is cherished above others in her community. What’s sadder to me, is most of the people who stand in support of her, are black people. The NAACP has, unsurprisingly, stood behind her in support. The NAACP, is an association that was started by white people. She actually, might have had an easier time, if she’d just kept it real. I agree that Rachel Dolezal has done a lot of things for the black community. But, she could have done so, as a white woman. There is absolutely no parallel, between Caitlyn’s story, and Rachel’s story.
One, is a story about deception, where even when faced with the truth, the person in question boldly denies it. The other, is a story about coming to terms with the truth, and being able to love and embrace yourself enough, to live honestly, and be honest with the people around you. Whether you agree or disagree with trans people’s lives, being able to come forward and state that this is who you are, is a statement of honesty, and it takes a lot of guts.
This is not a world built for trans people. While the same can be said for black men and women, for Rachel Dolezal, it was a choice. Trans people do not choose to be transgender. Honestly, there’s so much to this story, and the deeper you dig, the stranger it gets. I think a lot of people are asking why she did it. I tend to believe that it must have had something to do with the relationship between her and her family. There are a lot of missing pieces here. I’m hesitant to be hyper critical of her, and I’m really side-eyeing her parents. What do you guys think about the whole Rachel Dolezal situation? Let me know in the comment box below. As per usual, always remember, and never forget, that you, are beautiful, and you are loved. Bye.
If you like this video, support me on patreon, to get access to exclusive vlogs. There’s been a lot of cis people on YouTube, discussing Caitlyn Jenner. Personally, as a trans creator, I appreciate cis people, who have made thoughtful content, that is well written and presented. However, what’s become very clear to me, is that, this is a topic that some cis people do …
