我们能否选择自己的性别和种族身份?

Should We Be Able to Choose Our Sex, Racial Identity? 我们能否选择自己的性别和种族身份?

Do we have a right to choose our racial identity or sex? For example, if a person’s biological parents are white, can that person say he or she is black? If someone is born male, can he demand to be known as a woman?

American Bruce Jenner recently completed a series of treatments to become a woman. Many people supported the former Olympic star’s decision to change sexes. But people reacted differently to a rights activist¹ who said she was black. She was forced to resign from her job when her mother and father admitted they are white.

Many question Dolezal's race identity

Until this week, Rachel Dolezal led the Spokane, Washington office of the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement² of Colored People. Ms. Dolezal resigned because she made others believe she is a black woman. Yet she is biologically white. She told NBC News that she has identified as a black person ever since she was a child.

“I would say about five years old, I was drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon and the black curly hair, you know, that was how I was portraying⁴ myself.”

Ms. Dolezal’s parents legally adopted black children. She was raised with them. Ms. Dolezal married a black man and has two sons from the marriage. She teaches classes about African-American culture at a college in Washington State. And she has changed her appearance to make herself look more like an African-American.

The discovery that she is biologically white has angered many people. They believe she has unfairly received help because she led others to believe she is black.

Greg Carr is the chairman of Afro-American studies at Howard University in Washington, DC.

“Ms. Dolezal -- to use some of the parlance⁵ of scholars here in the United States -- seems to have acquired everything from blackness but the burden. The story is that now -- now -- her whiteness threatens the authenticity⁶ that she may have constructed in her own life.”

More acceptance for Jenner's change of sex

Bruce Jenner was a star of the 1976 Olympics. He has been married three times and has six children. Earlier this year, he completed his physical transformation⁷ from a man to a woman. Jenner now identifies as a woman. Her new name is Caitlyn Jenner. Most people have supported this change of identity.

Anne Morning is a professor of sociology at New York University. She says both Ms. Jenner and Ms. Dolezal will face criticism.

“They both have to deal with people who run right into conflict with our long-held beliefs about what natural real categories are when it comes to race or when it comes to gender⁸.”

Ms. Dolezal told NBC News she believes people should have the right to choose their identity.

“The discussion is really about what it is to be human and I hope that can really drive at the core of definitions of race, ethnicity, culture, self-determination, personal agency and ultimately empowerment.”

Ms. Jenner’s case seems to be a sign of growing acceptance in the United States that people should be permitted to change their gender. But the case of Rachel Dolezal seems to show that not as many people believe we should be able to choose our racial identity.

Words in This Story

self-portrait – n. a painting or drawing of the artist

crayon – n. a stick of colored wax that can be used for making pictures

portray³ – v. to describe (someone or something)

adopt – v. to legally take someone else’s child as your own child

parlance – n. language used by a particular group of people

acquire – v. to come to have (something)

burden – n. someone or something that is very difficult to accept, do or deal with

authenticity – n. something that is true

construct – v. to make or create by organizing ideas and words

transformation – n. a complete or major change in someone's or something’s appearance

category – n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way

core – n. center; the most important part of something

ultimately – adv. at the end of a process or period of time

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

3 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

4 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

5 parlance   

n.说法；语调

参考例句：

• The term "meta directory" came into industry parlance two years ago.两年前，商业界开始用“元目录”这个术语。
• The phrase is common diplomatic parlance for spying.这种说法是指代间谍行为的常用外交辞令。

6 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

7 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

8 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。