Transracial is a label used by people who identify as a differentrace than the one they were born into. They may adjust their appearance to make themselves look more like that race, and may participate in activities associated with that race.
Historically, the termtransracial was used solely to describe parents who adopt a child of a different race.[1][2][3]
The use of the term to describe changing racial identity has been criticized by members of thetransracial adoption community. Kevin H. Vollmers, executive director of an adoption non-profit, said the term is being "appropriated and co-opted", and that this is a "slap in the face" to transracial adoptees.[3] In June 2015, about two dozen transracial adoptees, transracial parents and academics published anopen letter in which they condemned the new usage as "erroneous, ahistorical, and dangerous".[3][4][5]
In April 2017, thefeminist philosophy journalHypatia published an academic paper in support of recognizing transracialism and drawing parallels between transracial andtransgender identity.[6] Publication of this paperresulted in considerable controversy. The subject was also explored inTrans: Gender and Race in an Age of Unsettled Identities, a 2016 book by UCLA sociology professorRogers Brubaker, who argues that the phenomenon, though offensive to many, is psychologically real to many people, and has many examples throughout history.[7][8] Transracialism has also been defended by the philosopherAndy Lamey, who argued in a 2025 article that accepting transracialism does not entail accepting "trans-speciesism" and other absurd outcomes suggested by critics.[9]
In 2023, aTikTok trend known as "race change to another" (abbreviated as RCTA) emerged on the platform in where users attempted to transition into a different race from the one they were born into.[10] The majority of RCTA featured users changing their race to mainlyKorean orJapanese due to their love of entertainment originating from said cultures.[11] The trend has been met with controversy, assatire videos have been created challenging genuine RCTA users.[11]
Rachel Dolezal, known for identifying as a Black woman despite having been born toWhite parents,[6][12][13] successfullypassed as Black, to the extent that she took over leadership of the Spokane branch of theNAACP in 2014, a year before she was "outed" in 2015
Martina Big, who was featured onMaury in September 2017, a woman of White ancestry who identifies as Black,[14][15][16] has hadmelanotan injections administered by a physician to darken her skin and hair[14][15][16]
Jessica Krug, a Jewish-American woman who identified as various Black and Afro-Latina ethnicities over time, including "North African Blackness", "US-rooted Blackness", and "Caribbean-rooted Bronx Blackness"[17][18]
Oli London, British influencer and singer who previously identified as Korean, and had numerous plastic surgeries to alter his racial identity, modelled his appearance on his idol,BTS singerJimin[19]
Korla Pandit, African-American musician who posed as anIndian fromNew Delhi in both his public and private life, was born John Roland Redd[20]
