User talk:Chreaton/sandbox

= Transethnic =

Transethnic or transracial is a neologism referring to the state of one's ethnic identity or racial expression not matching one's genetically assigned ethnicity. A transethnic person feels that they belong to a different ethnicity and will identify oneself as the ethnicity with which they identify.

The definition of transethnic includes:
 * "Of, relating to, or designating a person whose identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of ethnicity or race, but combines or moves between the identification with two or more ethnicities."
 * "People who were assigned an ethnicity, usually at birth and based on their ancestry and genetics, but who feel that this is a false or incomplete description of themselves."
 * "Non-identification with, or non-presentation as, the ethnicity (and assumed race) one was assigned at birth."

A transethnic individual may have characteristics that are normally associated with a particular ethnicity and identify elsewhere on the traditional continuum of ethnicity, or exist outside of it as other, a-ethnic, ethno-neutral, ethno-queer, third ethnic, etc. Transethnic people may also identify as bi-ethnic, pan-ethnic, or along several places on either the traditional continuum of ethnicity. Furthermore, many transethnic people experience a period of identity development that includes better understanding one's self-image, self-reflection, and self-expression. More specifically, the degree to which individuals feel genuine, authentic, and comfortable within their external appearance and accept their genuine identity is referred to as transethnic congruence.

Coming out
Transethnic people vary greatly in choosing when, whether, and how to disclose their transethnicity status to family, close friends, and others. The prevalence of discrimination and violence against the transgender community can make coming out a risky decision. Fear of retaliatory behavior, such as being removed from the parental home while underage, is a cause for transethnic people to not come out to their families until they have reached adulthood. Parental confusion and lack of acceptance of a transethnic child may be met with an effort to change their children back to "normal" by utilizing mental health services to alter the child's ethnic orientation and what is seen as a "phase".

Social Impact
The first case of transethnic identification caught mainstream attention in the case of Rachel Dolezal, who was exposed for her transethnicity and unjustly discriminated again when she was forced to resign her position as president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane Washington.

The revelations about Dolezal's ancestry and her other claims provoked a range of reactions. Angela Schwendiman, who is a colleague of Dolezal's at Eastern Washington University, expressed her belief that Dolezal perceived herself as black internally, and that "she was only trying to match how she felt on the inside with her outside." Psychologist Priscilla Dass-Brailsford stated: "Because of a familiarity with black culture, she [may] regard herself as 'transracial'”. Psychologist Halford Fairchild said "Rachel Dolezal is black because she identifies as black. Her identity was authentic, as far as I could tell." Sociologist Ann Morning also defended Dolezal saying, "We’re getting more and more used to the idea that people’s racial affiliation and identity and sense of belonging can change, or can vary, with different circumstances."

Opponents of transethnic identification claim that it is merely a form of cultural appropriation that contributes to racism. Gender studies scholar Samantha Allen said, "Rachel Dolezal seems determined to appropriate not just blackness but the rhetoric of transgender identity as well" and called the analogy "spurious". Washington Post journalist Jonathan Capehart suggested, "blackface remains highly racist, no matter how down with the cause a white person is." Her adopted brother Ezra Dolezal also compared his sister’s behavior to blackface and said "she's basically creating more racism".

There has yet to be any law enacted to protect transethnic people from racial and ethnic discrimination, and there are no legal pathways that provide a means for individuals to change their legal ethnicity to match their ethnic identity. Chreaton (talk) 21:16, 17 July 2015 (UTC)