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[–]peakingatthemomentTranssexual (natal male), HSTS 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

I feel like Oli London and people like that are just super addicted to plastic surgery and body modification. I remember reading on the old GC subreddit about other people (usually men) like that who were super into body modification and then became trans. It’s hard to take any of it seriously.

I’m not QT, but since no one is responding I will try to play the devil's advocate. Being transgender is different than being transracial because it is a diagnosed condition. When I was diagnosed, it was called gender identity disorder. It is a real issue that some people experience. Transracialism isn’t like that that we know of.

[–]BiologyIsReal[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Sorry for the late reply. Yes, I think Oli London has likely a addiction to plastic surgery. I'm not sure whether he has came to identify as a "woman" as result of that or if he is just trolling the people who rejected his "Korean identity".

It's true that there is no a medical condition equivalent to gender dysphoria, but I'll argue that is because anti-racism groups have been more successful in arguing against "transracialism" than feminists have been in arguing against "transgenderism". So, if, for instance, the DMS were to add something like race dysphoria there would likely be a major backlash, and racial minorities would quickly point out they cannot identify out of their opression. I think, the problem if that for many people sexism is something that not longer exists or it only exists in "backward" countries. If sexism is acknowgeled, it's said often that women are not opressed because of our sex, but because of our "femininity".

[–]peakingatthemomentTranssexual (natal male), HSTS 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

It's true that there is no a medical condition equivalent to gender dysphoria, but I'll argue that is because anti-racism groups have been more successful in arguing against "transracialism" than feminists have been in arguing against "transgenderism".

Thanks for replying! Do you think there actually is a “race dysphoria” condition? I guess I view gender dysphoria differently because it’s something that I know is real. I feel like someone could believe that and not necessarily believe in trans ideology though. It could just be a mental illness that should be treated with therapy or that the person could be taught to live with.

[–]BiologyIsReal[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I don't know what motivates people like London beyond an unhappiness with their own bodies, but to me the way he talks about how he discovered his claimed "Korean" identity feels very simillar to the way trans identified people tend to talk about themselves.

I think if one accepts transgenderism as valid, it wouldn't be logical to reject transracialism. After all, unlike sex, race is actually a spectrum and there are far more biological differences between women and men than between people of different races. Culture is also malleable, again unlike sex, and can be learned, too. And much of what is understood by race rely on stereotypes made up to justify the domination of a group of people by another.

That said, I personally don't believe Oli London is Korean anymore than I believe Ellen Page is a man, i.e you cannot change your heritage anymore than you can change yoursex. Also, if "transracialism" became an accepted thing, I can see how racist people would use it in their own benefict and I understand why Korean people are entertained by his claims.

I don't think I'm qualified to say if there is such a thing as race dysphoria as a medical condition or if it's simptomatic of something else. But if it were officially recongized as a medical condition, I don't people with it should be treated with surgeries and affirmation. I don not think his cosmetic surgeons are making Oli London any favour by encouraging him to chase an impossible dream.