Is it a hate crime? Are you sure?

[Andara Bledin]

It's hard to tell what she's claimed and what people are claiming she claimed.

For those matters, I'm taking a wait and see approach, though I think that there probably were some cases where she misrepresented things that would be basic, such as presenting an adopted brother as a son. If she did that, I would say that wasn't cool.

[Hyena Dandy]

Just like, genetically, a person with fully white parents will always be white, someone who was born male with typical male genitalia will always be genetically male, no matter what hormones or physical alteration happens.

Except that studies have shown that aspects of the brain are different between women and men, and trans people have the 'female' type if they were born male. Since the brain is where the recognition of gender is taking place, that's why people are trans. Meanwhile, there has not been, to my knowledge, similar studies relating to whether a person with white genes, has brain patterns closer to black people.

The reason we see "Identity at odds with sex" and "Identity at odds with culture" differently, is because sex has that genetic aspect, while culture, as far as we know, has nothing.

[HYHYBT]

Everyone's ancestors are from Africa.

[mjr]

I think one of the things that I've seen brought up elsewhere is that Rachel Dolezel can "be white" when it suits her, and then "be black" when it suits her. In other words, she can turn it on/off as it suits her agenda. The black community doesn't have that option.

My understanding is she even sued Howard University for discriminating against her because she was white.

And to me, she used "weasel words" when she answered the question "Are you black?"

Saying "I identify with blacks" is well and good, but that doesn't answer the question.

[TheHuckster]

Everyone's ancestors are from Africa.

Yes, but if she's talking about having an African lineage, she's clearly talking about a much shorter one than 10,000 years.

[Canarr]

How so?

When you state that you had grandparents who lived in Africa, that's a statement that is absolutely backed by facts. And if those statements turn out to not be factual, then it's a lie. That has nothing to do with "you can't change who you are." I was born in the United States. I can't change that without a time machine.

Not to point out the obvious, but white people live in Africa, too... Have been for generations.

As to the question of "trans-gender" vs. "trans-race" and the difference between them: I think it does have to do with the fact that most people feel a stronger attachment to, and derive more of their identity from, their "tribe" than their sex. Consequently, the are more inclined to feel outrage over someone claiming to belong to their "tribe" than to their sex.

[TheHuckster]

Not to point out the obvious, but white people live in Africa, too... Have been for generations.

Of course. But in this case that doesn't appear to be true for her. I don't see how that changes my statement that one who misappropriates their ancestry is wrong to do so. I don't care what their skin color is.

[Gravekeeper]

This whole discussion might be more relevant if she wasn't either A) Crazy, B) A pathological liar or C) A con artist / amazing troll.

Seeing as she's now up to claiming there's no proof her parents are her REAL biological parents because she was "born in the woods" or something and she "identifies as black" so this is all somehow okay. Never mind the entire fabricated life story she had going on. Never mind that she claims she has a "real black father" but he's hiding out in the south because a "White cop" is after him. Or that she's reported hate crimes against her to the police on numerous occasions. "Hate crimes" she herself set up.

And yeah, there's that thing where she sued a university for discriminating against her for being white. -.-

[Andara Bledin]

I think one of the things that I've seen brought up elsewhere is that Rachel Dolezel can "be white" when it suits her, and then "be black" when it suits her.

Unless she has actually done so, I don't see how this really matters.

I mean, we can all do a lot of things that would be considered skeevy, but if you're going to judge people based on what they can do as opposed to what they do do, that's bullshit.

[Andara Bledin]

This whole discussion might be more relevant if she wasn't either A) Crazy, B) A pathological liar or C) A con artist / amazing troll.

After reading an article about her parents culled from news information and and personal accounts from others about her parents, I'm going to vote probably a bit psychologically traumatized and doing everything she can to distance herself from any association with those people.

[mjr]

Unless she has actually done so, I don't see how this really matters.

I mean, we can all do a lot of things that would be considered skeevy, but if you're going to judge people based on what they can do as opposed to what they do do, that's bullshit.

Well, she did sue Howard University (a predominantly black university) over a teaching position. She cited discrimination because she was white.

I'd say that counts as "being white when it suits her".

...and the plot thickens: http://radaronline.com/celebrity-new...ent-publicist/

[Andara Bledin]

She sued them before she ever publicly identified as black.

Since she's gone black, she hasn't gone back.

[Canarr]

Of course. But in this case that doesn't appear to be true for her. I don't see how that changes my statement that one who misappropriates their ancestry is wrong to do so. I don't care what their skin color is.

Oh, I agree with you that it's wrong to misrepresent your ancestry; no question about that. Just meant to point out that the fact of one's ancestors being from Africa doesn't necessarily make any statements about skin color.

A bit superfluous, admittedly. Sometimes, I'm just a smartass

[s_stabeler]

She sued them before she ever publicly identified as black.

Since she's gone black, she hasn't gone back.

I think what mjr is saying is that to all appearences, she was happy enough identifying herself as a white person- meaning it isn't quite the same as being transgender, where it isn't something that suddenly happens- transgender peope were NEVER comfortable identifying themselves as their "biological" gender. Rachel Dolezal was originally comfortable as a white person. It means the situation cannot be truly compared to transsexual people.

[Gravekeeper]

I'm going to vote probably a bit psychologically traumatized and doing everything she can to distance herself from any association with those people.

I'm going with your linked article: There is no but regardless of what her parents are like. What she's done ( and is still doing ) is inexcusable.

She sued them before she ever publicly identified as black.

Since she's gone black, she hasn't gone back.

She claims she's identified as black since she was 5. Despite identifying as white when it suits her ( which is to say legally in both lawsuits and her divorce proceedings ). A divorce in which she claimed everything from her ex abusing their child to domestic violence to him forcing her to film sex tapes. All of which, much like her reports of hate crimes, did not pan out upon investigation. Thats before you get into shit like her trying to stop a white author from speaking about racism at her university because as a white person he didn't "have the authority" to talk about racism.

Plus its not just her parents. This shit seems to go right down the middle in the family. With her parents and 2 brothers on one side and her and one brother on the other. With a nasty legal battle in the middle of it. With one brother currently accused of the sexual abuse of a black child. Charges which the parents claim she had a hand in arranging in a bid to win custody of her brother. Which may be why her parents outed her to the media. Retaliation.

She's a hypocrite, professional victim and possibly a pathological liar but also possibly just enjoys basking in attention. Never mind the amount of damage she's now caused to the culture she appropriated as her own or the amount of frivolous legal proceedings and police investigations she's caused.

She's also now been found to have acted inappropriately as the omsbudmans of the police oversight committee by harassing employees and leaking confidential information. By an independent review that began before she was outed by her parents. The mayor of Spokane is now demanding she resign from her position there as well.