Search Results for: Tuvel

Chicago cop, citing gender precedent and seeking affirmative-action benefits, prevented from changing race to person of color from Caucasian

This event was more or less inevitable given that organizations can allow people to change their genders (a social construct) but won’t allow them to change their race (another social construct).  That is, many people and groups approve of “transgenderism” but strongly oppose “transracialism”. It’s a mystery to me why, if you feel you’re of … Continue reading Chicago cop, citing gender precedent and seeking affirmative-action benefits, prevented from changing race to person of color from Caucasian

Peter Boghossian interviews Luana Maroja (and a note on “transracialism”)

When my colleague, coauthor, and conspirator in crime Luana Maroja, a professor of evolutionary biology at Williams College, was teaching a short summer course at The University of Austin, she was interviewed on video about sex and gender issues by Peter Boghossian, also teaching at the U of A. The interview, below, speaks for itself: … Continue reading Peter Boghossian interviews Luana Maroja (and a note on “transracialism”)

Why can’t you be transracial?

A while back there was some discussion about whether people could claim that they were members of a race/ethnicity other than the one they were born into. The paradigmatic example was Rachel Dolezal, a white woman in Spokane, Washington who claimed to be black, and altered her appearance to match her claims. She worked her … Continue reading Why can’t you be transracial?

The vexing problem of “otherkins”

UPDATE: As the Guardian reports, there is a controversy about what really happened in the “cat incident” reported below.  The school, which initially said this (see below), The school, which does not dispute that the incident happened, said it was committed to inclusive education, but would be “reviewing our processes to ensure such events do … Continue reading The vexing problem of “otherkins”

Jesse Singal sees no problem with transracialism

Not long ago I pondered the question of whether someone could be “transracial”, saying that they feel like (and assuming the accoutrements of) a member of a race that was not their natal race. After all, if you can be transgender, why not transracial? Rachel Dolezal, a white woman from Spokane who passed for black, … Continue reading Jesse Singal sees no problem with transracialism

The Godless Spellchecker defends Dawkins against transphobia

I’m getting really tired of social media pile-ons, especially when the victim isn’t really guilty of a gross transgression. One of these is happening now, and the object is—once again—Richard Dawkins. The reason: his rather awkward attempt to discuss transphobia and transracialism on Twitter, which isn’t the place for this kind of discussion. (I suppose … Continue reading The Godless Spellchecker defends Dawkins against transphobia

Under pressure from the benighted, Rhodes College refuses to disinvite Peter Singer but issues a “free speech but. . . ” statement

There are two main parties to this story (besides Rhodes College itself): Peter Singer, the famous ethical philosopher at Princeton, and Rebecca Tuvel, associate professor and Chair of Philosophy at Rhodes College. We’ve encountered them both before as parties to attempted cancellations. Backstory: Singer got into big trouble when he proposed that under extreme circumstances … Continue reading Under pressure from the benighted, Rhodes College refuses to disinvite Peter Singer but issues a “free speech but. . . ” statement

The Friendly Atheist is not so friendly, damns Richard Dawkins as “transphobic” for comparing transexualism with transracialism

The Friendly Atheist, Hemant Mehta, isn’t being very friendly, nor charitable, to Richard Dawkins. This is based on a tweet that Dawkins made comparing “trans-racialism”—as in the case of Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who pretended she was black—with transsexualism. Hemant has thus deemed Richard “transphobic” and implicitly demanded that he be removed from the … Continue reading The Friendly Atheist is not so friendly, damns Richard Dawkins as “transphobic” for comparing transexualism with transracialism