Is it possible to be "Transracial"?

[chaotic_nipple]

Our contemporary culture generally looks down on ethnic minorities who attempt to "pass", because hey, we're supposed to celebrate our differences and stuff. But if a hypothetical brown person felt they were really "white on the inside", and just had plastic surgery and chemical skin lightening to match the body they were born up to their inner self, shouldn't we respect that, at least to the same extent we do the transgendered?

Comments

[kinshar.livejournal.com]

But imagine the uproar from NAACP et al about how its a terrible thing the poor person doesn't understand that black/brown/golden is beautiful and they don't need to change.

[delazan.livejournal.com]

I never thought of it that way. Nice morning mind-frak.
-L.

[http://users.livejournal.com/little_e_/]

Interesting thought. But I suppose it begs the question of what the shape of one's nose reveals about one's inner self. Which then in turn begs the question of what one's genitals reveal about one's inner self.

Whether we like it or not, there are cultural norms (and in the case of gender, biological tendencies), which affect how large groups of people act. If a person is perceived as female, say, but acts and feels comfortable around males, then I'd expect them to feel trans, but if they suddenly moved into an environemet where all of the females acted like they did, they'd feel more female. (happened to me, anyway.) Likewise, if someone lived in an environment where they just felt like they fit in better with people of a different race, they might identify more with that race.

Incidentally, as a kid I really wanted to be Mexican [or Native American] because the Mexican kids at school had friends. I fantasized about undergoing a black-like-me style transition, dying my hair, etc., but I knew the other kids at school would never buy it and I'd still be friendless.

[jen--77.livejournal.com]

The Kids in the Hall had this sketch where Scott Thompson announces to his parents that he's an Indian woman. This computer won't let me watch anything, but this should be the episode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmc6ODK6HdA
Personally, I think gender has a biological basis, so it makes sense that people might have a certain gender identity that they couldn't just snap out of. But race seems more imaginary. But hey, what ever people want to do.