Screenshot: YouTube/WTSP
We hope Tampa resident Ja Du has a lot of time to kill because he is going to get his ID questioned at every bar he decides to frequent from here on out.
According to USA Today, Ja Du is insisting on telling people he’s Filipino despite the fact that he was born white. The reason for doing so? You guessed it – he “grew up enjoying Filipino food, events and the overall culture,” so that’s what he’s going to say he is from now on.
Screenshot: YouTube/WTSP
“Whenever I’m around the music, around the food, I feel like I’m in my own skin,” Du said. “I’d watch the History Channel, sometimes for hours. Nothing else intrigued me more but things about Filipino culture.”
Du is what’s known in the biz as “transracial,” and Tampa-based psychologist Stacey Schreckner says that while she hasn’t had a client like Du yet, she doesn’t see a problem with what he’s doing.
“If someone feels that they feel at home with a certain religion, a certain race, a certain culture, I think that, if that’s who they really feel inside, life is about finding out who you are,” Schreckner said. “The more knowledge you have of yourself, the happier you can be, and as long as it’s not hurting yourself or anyone else, I don’t see a problem with that.”
Believe or not, that was just a real story.
