I DON'T KNOW if I should be flattered ... or, uh, ... I'm taken aback.nA man who was born white feels in his heart and mind that he's Filipino.
"Whenever I'm around (Filipino) music, around the food, I feel like I'm in my own skin," said Ja Du of Tampa Bay, Florida.
This is different from the time an African/American student of my wife told her that if he were to come back in another life, he'd like to come back as a Filipino. Like Ja Du, he liked the people, the food, the culture, the parties.
Ja Du, who was born as a white male named Adam, he "feels" Filipino. He's more comfortable "being" a Filipino. He now identifies himself as transracial.
"If someone feels that they feel at home with a certain religion, a certain race, a certain culture, I think that if that's who they really feel inside life is about finding out who you are. The more knowledge you have of yourself, the happier you can be," psychologist Stacey Scheckner said to WTSP.
"And, as long as it's not hurting yourself or anyone else, I don't see a problem with that."
Ja Du isn't the first to come out publicly as transracial and his belief is likely to reignite the discussion around transracialism.
Earlier this year, Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who pretended she was black for 10 years before being publicly outed, called for racial fluidity to be recognised in the same way as transgenderism.
Dolezal said race is “less biological than gender” and said the term “transracial” is a useful term to describe how race should be considered in the future.
Ja Du told WTSP it's not his intention to appropriate anyone's culture or take advantage of things that may be offered to people of specific nationalities or races.
"I believe people will (take advantage) just like other people have taken advantage of their identity to get their way, but the difference between me and them Garin (Flowers, WTSP reporter) is that I don't want that. I think that we all have the freedoms to pursue happiness in our own ways," he said.
To demonstrate his Filipinoness, he drives his 3-wheel a tuk-tuk on Tampa streets. But, it takes more than that to be Filipino.
Does Ju Du point with his lips? Acknowledge someone with his eye brows? Does he cha-cha? Does he eat with his hands? Or, does he use the spoon and fork to eat off his plate? Will he darken his skin? Will he tape down his nose to make it flatter? Does he whisper dirty and corny jokes to his friends? Does he have an irresistable urge to grab the mike when a Karaoke machine turns on? Does he turn around when someone goes, "Sssssst?"
"And, as long as it's not hurting yourself or anyone else, I don't see a problem with that."
Ja Du isn't the first to come out publicly as transracial and his belief is likely to reignite the discussion around transracialism.
Earlier this year, Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who pretended she was black for 10 years before being publicly outed, called for racial fluidity to be recognised in the same way as transgenderism.
Dolezal said race is “less biological than gender” and said the term “transracial” is a useful term to describe how race should be considered in the future.
Ja Du told WTSP it's not his intention to appropriate anyone's culture or take advantage of things that may be offered to people of specific nationalities or races.
"I believe people will (take advantage) just like other people have taken advantage of their identity to get their way, but the difference between me and them Garin (Flowers, WTSP reporter) is that I don't want that. I think that we all have the freedoms to pursue happiness in our own ways," he said.
To demonstrate his Filipinoness, he drives his 3-wheel a tuk-tuk on Tampa streets. But, it takes more than that to be Filipino.
Does Ju Du point with his lips? Acknowledge someone with his eye brows? Does he cha-cha? Does he eat with his hands? Or, does he use the spoon and fork to eat off his plate? Will he darken his skin? Will he tape down his nose to make it flatter? Does he whisper dirty and corny jokes to his friends? Does he have an irresistable urge to grab the mike when a Karaoke machine turns on? Does he turn around when someone goes, "Sssssst?"
Now that's something you don't hear every day.
Ja Du recently sat down with WTSP to discuss his racial identity, telling the outlet that although he was born a white man named Adam, he feels Filipino. He now identifies as transracial.
Although Ja Du can't change the way he presents outwardly, he's embraced all aspects of his identity as it relates to the way he lives his life.
He can often be found driving around his native Tampa, Fla., in a purple Tuk Tuk, a three-wheeled vehicle often used as public transportation in the Philippines.
Psychologist Stacey Scheckner told WTSP she's never had a client express a desire to change their race, but she has worked with a number of people who want to change their appearance in some way.
She told the publication anyone who feels drawn to another religion, race or culture should be encouraged to embrace those feelings and dive in completely.
"If someone feels that they feel at home with a certain religion, a certain race, a certain culture, I think that if that's who they really feel inside life is about finding out who you are. The more knowledge you have of yourself, the happier you can be," Scheckner said.
"And, as long as it's not hurting yourself or anyone else, I don't see a problem with that."
Ja Du has yet to come out to his family as transracial. He told WTSP he worries they won't take him seriously.
Scheckner had some wise words for family members and others who may be critical of Ja Du's identity.
"If that's who they are and they want to celebrate it and enjoy it, then you have to think what harm is it doing? All they want to do is throw themselves into that culture and celebrate it," Scheckner added.
Ja Du told WTSP it's not his intention to appropriate anyone's culture or take advantage of things that may be offered to people of specific nationalities or races.
"I believe people will (take advantage) just like other people have taken advantage of their identity to get their way, but the difference between me and them Garin (Flowers, WTSP reporter) is that I don't want that. I think that we all have the freedoms to pursue happiness in our own ways," he said.
Ja Du isn't the first to come out publicly as transracial.
Ja Du's claims are likely to reignite the debate around transracialism.
Earlier this year, Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who pretended she was black for 10 years before being publicly outed, called for racial fluidity to be recognised in the same way as transgenderism.
Ms Dolezal said race is “less biological than gender” and said the term “transracial” is a useful term to describe how race should be considered in the future.
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