Rachel Dolezal

[PrincessFiona]

What do you guys think about this situation?

I've read some commentary that has compared her wanting to live as a black woman to transgender issues and have suggested that we have gender fluidity and why not racial fluidity?

I have a problem with the lies, really, and I'm not sure if I can jump on the racial fluidity bandwagon...but maybe I'm wrong. This all seems very unusual to me.

Kris

[GrayMatterWife]

This isn't about biological fluidity. It's about dishonesty.

Whatever you think about Jenner, there was no dishonesty. (At least, not about his biological sex; he was not publicly "honest," I suppose, about what gender he felt for most of his life, but that it is really none of public's business of he doesn't want us to know--he did not owe the public "honesty" about this, in my view.). Jenner never denied his biology and never said, "I am not a biological male." He's not a liar about his biology. He is simply changing his body to better fit the gender he believes his biological sex assignment has denied him. He has truthfully said, "I have always felt like, and am now transitioning to, being a female." There was no false bill of goods being sold.

This woman decided that she could style her hair to "pass" as black, then falsely stated that she was black. She didn't say, "I've always felt black so I am now transitioning to life as a black person."

She's just a liar.

[v-girl]

The response from a friend.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z2zMrjBLwn8

She lied and continues to lie. I think she has issues, but it's likely her whole family does.

[Meenah]

I agree with GMW, and I also believe there are some serious mental health issues going on here.

[MarissaNicole]

She has claimed to be the victim of hate crimes as well, which now of course people are going to question given her creditability issues.

Wife of a PGY-5

[diggitydot]

My issue with Dolezal is the prolific lying. She could have easily done the same work she's done with civil rights as a white woman. The filing false police reports for hate crimes is appalling. Someone could have ended up in jail because of her lies.

She received a full scholarship from Howard University for claims an ethnicity that isn't her own. That's fraud in my book.

Identify however you want, lady. Don't file false police reports that could easily involve innocent people.

[Sheherezade]

I thought she attended Howard as a white student and experienced some reverse discrimination there? Or felt like she did? That was the one and only article on this I read - an interview with her brother- so I'm basically clueless.

It's a weird story. I think she has committed fraud and/or performance art for years now. I can only imagine that she is psychologically driven somehow.


Angie

[diggitydot]

She did attend Howard as a white woman and was definitely on the other end of race-based comments. But on her application, she marked that she was African American and received a full scholarship.

She's also lied about being a professor. She's an adjunct.

[Pollyanna]

My issue with Dolezal is the prolific lying. She could have easily done the same work she's done with civil rights as a white woman. The filing false police reports for hate crimes is appalling. Someone could have ended up in jail because of her lies.

She received a full scholarship from Howard University for claims an ethnicity that isn't her own. That's fraud in my book.

Identify however you want, lady. Don't file false police reports that could easily involve innocent people.

Exactly this.

[McPants]

She's also lied about being a professor. She's an adjunct.

Aren't all members of the teaching staff at universities above instructor/teaching assistant level commonly referred to as professors in the U.S. though? As far as I know, the job title would be "adjunct professor".

[diggitydot]

I'm not in academia, but from what I understand, professors have a phD. Adjunct instructors do not. Calling oneself a professor implies a doctorate-level education.

[ladymoreta]

Not sure if it's regional or school specific, but I called my teachers Professor [Last Name] if they did not have a PhD and Dr. [Last Name] if they did.

[McPants]

I'm not in academia, but from what I understand, professors have a phD. Adjunct instructors do not. Calling oneself a professor implies a doctorate-level education.

Given the outrageous level of competition for tenure track positions, you'll find lots and lots of PhDs teaching as adjunct professors in the U.S. these days. You do not need a PhD even to become a full professor (although such cases are quite rare in most disciplines).

Dolezal was removed from her university's website after the scandal broke, however this is a cached version of her profile page.

[Sheherezade]

Yeah, my impression is it's "Adjunct Professor". I have a Ph.D and I've taught as an adjunct -so has my Ph. D. brother. I've never linked the degree and the job title "Professor" in my experience.

[medpedspouse]

I am also in academia and I see no issue with the "professor" title in her situation. However, I think what DD may refer to is the fact that you are called assistant p, associate p and then p BUT only us academic geeks care about that. The general population sees university instructor as professor.

Having said that, I have no issue with how she chooses to identify herself - her business. Now, the lying, that is concerning. Still, makes me sad. What kind of issues is she dealing with to make one do this. I also do not think this is news...maybe for the local area where she has chosen to take leadership positions.